


I Like This Feeling, Don't You?

by ninemangoes



Category: One Piece
Genre: Crewmates to Lovers, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff, Ichiba Island, Idiots in Love, Jealousy, Luffy is an idiot, Misunderstandings, Nami has a hard time admitting her feelings, Nami is an idiot, OC - Kiyoshi, OC - Mako, Original Character(s), Original work - Freeform, Pirate king & Pirate Queen, Pirates in love, Robin's entertained, Romance, Sanji's lonely, Usopp's somewhat the wingman, clueless captain who's trying, cute moments, daily life of the Straw Hats, jealous Luffy, original work can also be found on wattpad, pining for one another, pride over confessing?, the crew lands on an island!, what's dating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27791503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninemangoes/pseuds/ninemangoes
Summary: Being with them since the beginning as you go through painful times, have many adventures, and explore the vast ocean for One Piece; it's only natural to develop feelings right?orThe crew and their non-eventful days of fighting, relaxing on their ship as they watch confusingly at their captain's strange behavior towards their navigator.or"What's dating?" Luffy misunderstands the definition and Nami can only stay confused for so long. Or does he misunderstand?pre-sabaody, in other words before time-skip!!!! original work can also be found on wattpad !!!!
Relationships: Franky/Nico Robin, Monkey D. Luffy/Nami
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34





	1. you're crazy

The best days, in Nami's eyes, were the days when the crew wasn't fighting or exploring some island but instead staying on the ship as it sails through the ocean's vastness. The days where the crew enjoy their own hobbies and have fun without worrying of anything bad happening. Currently, she was spending her time making macarons with Sanji. It's really fun being with him when he wasn't in full ero-mode.

They both decided on two flavors: matcha and cookies n cream. Sanji had already made several batches where one batch contained 15. Nami, not being so skilled and quick as him, took her time and was on her second batch with Sanji's assistance, although she was fine by herself. If Luffy didn't have a stomach of a giant like his zombie, Oars, her and the cook wouldn't be making so many. Sitting on one of the chairs was Zoro who downed his 3rd bottle of booze, the max of booze Sanji was willing to give for now.

The blonde cook sighed in utter happiness. "Today's afternoon spent with Nami-swan? Oh how Kami loves me so!~ But it would be even better, if I was helping her alone." His blissful attitude shifted into an angry glint as he glared at the swordsman, who had closed his eyes but opened them after. "If you're gonna nap, nap outside marimo." He said threateningly.

"I wouldn't be staying here for no reason, Dartboard." Zoro replied. "I'm here because Nami was bragging about how she's going to make the best macarons in the world. Given her cooking and baking skills before you joined this crew, it's hard to believe."

"Watch how you talk about her, dumbass." Sanji said.

Zoro quickly glanced at Nami who was completely focused on what she was doing. She stayed awfully quiet which was pretty strange for her. He knew teasing her would do the trick in getting her to speak. "You know it doesn't count if the cook is helping you make them, you know that right?"

Nami, who finally decided enough macarons were made, put her last one in one of the batches and looked up at the moss head to stick her tongue out at him. "Shut up and give it a taste already. I made most of the matcha ones." She went to the sink to wash her hands and help fix the mess Sanji and her made.

"On it, witch." He said as he stood up from where he sat and headed for one of the batches. Sanji rolled his eyes and Zoro gave him a winning grin as he picked up the macaron and placed the whole thing in his mouth.

Nami noticed the blonde pout while putting away the ingredients that were no longer needed. He murmured a few words, probably cussing Zoro out, while glancing at the guy who got permission to eat her own made macarons. From behind, she tapped his shoulders and when he turned around she told him, "I also want your opinion, Sanji-kun."

Sanji had gave her a genuine smile and happily made his way to where the swordsman was at. "Thank you, Nami-swan!!!~~" He swooned as he also picked one up to eat.

Zoro was the first one to react. "I'm not gonna lie but a witch like yourself can make tasty stuff."

Sanji began floating in the air showing how joyous he was. "For once, I agree with him. You're so amazing!!~" He told her with heart eyes.

"Thanks guys. Sanji-kun, can we hide these until after dinner please? I gave strict instructions to the rest of the crew to not let Luffy in this kitchen until we're done making them. I want these macarons eaten after dinner and not now. Ok?" She met eyes with him.

He didn't even bother to respond but quickly followed her order as he kept swaying as if in heaven. His movements so delicate, as he picked up the trays of macarons to put in the fridge in which he then secured up safely, thanks to Franky's trusty locks. Looking out of the door's window, based on how bright the day was, he can tell the afternoon sun had just appeared. It was lunchtime and he didn't have anything prepared. "Nami-san deserves a break!" He cried. "I'll be working on lunch for the meantime, have a wonderful afternoon~!"

The cat burglar snorted, finding his stupid gentleman attitude amusing. But it seemed he wanted to shoo everyone out of the kitchen to focus on his cooking based on how he nearly kicked Zoro's side.

He noticed the last tray he didn't put away was missing two macaroons, not including the ones he and the Marimo ate."Oi! Did you steal some macaroons?" Sanji pointed at the tray of matcha-flavored macaroons.

Zoro had two macaroons in hand and stuffed another in his mouth. He had to get out of there before Sanji got more annoying. "Alright I'm heading out."

She waved bye at the cook, thanking him once again for his help and followed the first mate. "I'm coming with."

He paused, waiting for the tangerine lover to catch up and then walked when by his side. Her laugh was then heard when he threw the second matcha macaroon in his mouth.

His cheeks were filled with the cookie-like treat. "You look like the matcha." She said, noticing the similar green color the pastry had with his hair.

"Oh yeah?" He looked over at her precious grove, throwing his thumb over to that direction. "And you look like a tangerine." He retaliated, staring at her orange hair.

She tucked her hair behind one ear. "Yeah but this kind of color is natural." She paused to pat his surprisingly both soft and spiky hair. "Unlike yours, right?" He tsked at that which made her laugh.

Her smiling and laughter was contagious at that moment for some reason as he started to lightly laugh too, liking the calm Nami instead of her usual bossy self. He wondered why she wasn't as moody like any other day. Her smile growing wider when a certain guy in the distance called her name, gave him a hint.

"Namiiiiii!" Luffy groaned, as he made his way toward the two. "How come Zoro could go in the kitchen but I couldn't?" His childish tone had then appeared. "Everyone was saying we weren't allowed into the kitchen. I get Sanji was there cause he has to in order to cook meals for us but Zoro?" He looked back at his first mate. "That's not fair he can go in."

The swordsman didn't really expect for the captain to get so worked up about not being able to go somewhere in the ship. Maybe it's because it's the kitchen he was forbidden from that made him sort of...mad? He didn't know how to describe Luffy right now.

Nami didn't look at him for she was more interested in today's forecast. "Oh calm down, Luffy. It's not a big deal or anything. He was just there to try some stuff I made-"

"Ehhhh?! I could've tried it instead!"

She had no idea why he was being so upset at such a small thing. His stomach is like a never-ending pit. Is he that hungry that he was pissed someone got to eat food before him? "You wouldn't even try just one, it would all be gone before I stop you!"

The fact that she didn't let him try what she made hurt him but that didn't matter anymore. What made him frown is knowing she thought of him as someone who only ever cares about food and doesn't listen at all. They've known each other for a while to know he isn't just a guy full of trouble. "That's just mean, Nami! I know when to listen, too!"

The swordsman glanced at both his captain and navigator's expression in which both of them shared: eyebrows furrowed and a sneer. Wasn't Nami just smiling at him a moment ago? Why did the atmosphere between them have to change into this? "Oi, oi. Calm down you two."

And just like that, Luffy didn't calm down. The meat lover grabbed her face which surprised her into looking at him right in the eye for an explanation as he said, "Why can't you trust me? In battle, you always do," so very seriously.

Nami's cheeks glowed a slight pink at his words. The nerve he had to say such an embarrassing thing! She can clearly hear Zoro's snickering next to her. "I do trust you, idiot! Zoro was there because I said something stupid and wanted to see me fail. There's seriously nothing for you to get mad about. Geez Luffy." She stopped when noticing Luffy's face soften and smile just a little. She loved his smile, who wouldn't? Somehow seeing his goofy smile cheered anyone up. He even got an old enemy to be part of his crew without having to ask. Having Robin on board was great, she was like an older sister to her and was great female company. If she never joined, she'd have to deal with all these male idiots by herself.

His smile was so fascinating to her, she hadn't realized how close he was. His hands on her cheeks, his stare piercing through her, it felt awkward but soothing in a way. When she will ever get a chance like this where his attention was focused to her only? She motioned her hands to meet his, that was still on her cheek, and put her hands over it. Matching her smile to be as wide as his. "Haha! Oh what the hell, why are we so mad?" She began to laugh.

He took his hands off her soft face and laughed with her. "Shishi. I don't know!"

Zoro rolled his eyes but smiled. Idiots. How stupid of them to be laughing at something like that. He covered his mouth as he let out a long yawn. It was time for a good nap. He thought it'd be best to sleep now so he wouldn't miss lunch. But Before he even turned to sit at his usual spot to resume his nap, it was eye-catching to see his captain's arms making its way to Nami's torso. He was still laughing with her but in his expression also held seriousness. He caught Luffy look down at his own arms, showing he knew very well what he was doing. Just as he was about to fully wrap his arms around her, as random as it was, his head got hit by a shoe. A familiar shoe the cook always wore. The sight of Sanji's angry face was entertaining to Zoro.

It was a shock Nami hadn't realized what Luffy was intending on doing but Sanji, who was farther from the two, had saw the scene almost play out. "Luffy!!!" The navigator turned herself around, wondering where the shoe had come from. "There is no way I'm letting you touch Nami-swan!" He yelled from a top.

Touch? The tangerine lover thought, looking back at the man in front of her. His smile was no more but instead replaced with a frown as he kept his eyes on the fourth joined member of the Straw Hats crew. He tore his eye contact with Sanji and stared at Nami. She gave him an expression of confusion similar to asking him what that meant. But being Luffy, he probably didn't know what the perverted blonde was talking about either and only replied with a shrug. She never knew she'd ever say such but she envied Sanji at that moment for he stole Luffy's attention away from her. He sped past the navigator and kept chanting, "Lunch, lunch, lunch, LUNCH." And Sanji blocked the kitchen door, kicking the captain away telling him lunch wasn't ready. Nami softly giggled, gave one last glance at her captain and made her way to the women's quarter in hopes of Robin being there.

Zoro, now sitting down as he watched Luffy attempt to force his way into the kitchen, quickly glanced over at the red-head and grinned. Either her disappointment was clear as day or he was just very observant, she yearned for more of Luffy's attention. Of course she would never admit that. Just like himself, she put her pride above any other feelings. He crossed his arms then closed his eyes to think of Luffy's failed attempt of hugging her. He thought, Why? Several possible reasons flew by his mind but the last one he thought of, he liked best. If that's not why, he paused which was then followed by a chuckle, then I'm not the future number one swordsman.  
________________________________

Franky couldn't believe it. He knew he couldn't keep his mouth shut. And why'd it have to be Luffy? Couldn't it have been Chopper? "Usopp! What the hell?! Not supaaa!" That damn long nose was going to get it.

Usopp nearly jumped after hearing the door slammed open to only look up from his work to see the shipwright making a grand entrance. His arms were crossed until he took off his glasses and placed it on top of his head to show his pissed off eyes. "Don't scare me like that! Geez!"

He combed his tall bright blue hair, not caring that he was frightened. He closed the door from behind him and made his way to where Usopp was sitting. His broad body towered over Usopp's smaller figure making it seem like the cyborg would stomp on the sharp-shooter right about now. But fortunately for him, he just glared while crossing his arms again which didn't answer why he suddenly came in here.

"So...what's wrong exactly?" Usopp asked as he got up. His neck was already hurting from going too far back to look up at Franky.

When Usopp stood up straight waiting for an answer, he spoke again. "Explain how in the world Straw Hat found out about Robin and I." The cyborg said, pinching the bridge of his nose in disappointment. Out of all other crew members it had to be that guy. Not that he doesn't want him to know but when thinking about it the topic of dating was sure not to the captain's interest. So why would Usopp even mention of a romantic relationship that's been developed on ship? He thought Usopp was just blurting things out which got him so mad. "For a day.." He murmured. "I just wanted a single day having no one know..." His angry aura had changed into one that screamed 'ugh.'

Usopp blinked. He turned around, directing his eyes away from Franky and started to sweat uncontrollably. Oh crap. He steadied his breathing, making sure his face wasn't written with panic all over before turning back to face Franky's deep frown. Using his incredible acting, he opened up his mouth so wide to gawk at what he said and then gasped. "L-Luffy knows?! That's crazy!" The coward shook his head left to right continuously. "Tsk, tsk Franky. You're not even good at keeping your own secret? What a shame.

The cyborg's frown turned to a grin when seeing his friend's horrible acting. Like Pinocchio, it was like his nose grew slightly longer at his lie. "Usopp, I know it was you who told."

Usoop's cocky tone settled down to a scared one. "Ok, hear me out first!" He really didn't want his friend to misunderstand. This time, he was telling the truth. "I was telling Chopper about it because one, I ran out of stories to tell him....you know how happy that reindeer is when hearing my tales! And two, I had to let it out since my mouth was itching for it to be said and if I didn't, I would've told the wrong person about it like Sanji!" He began to kick the air with eyebrows deepen to imitate how the cook would act like.

Franky nodded his head to that last statement. "Sanji knowing...." He let out a chuckle. "That's at least a week of pure hell."

"But then Luffy was eavesdropping and heard everything." Usopp sighed. "I thought I was being quiet about it, too. But seriously, it's crazy that he stayed to listen some more! Usually if Luffy heard something boring, he wouldn't even keep it in mind and forget it."

Franky didn't know whether to trust his first statement. "This better not be another lie cause I'm only forgiving you for not actually telling him." Truthfully, he didn't care anymore at Luffy finding out. He started thinking of the other stuff Usopp said. "That Mugiwara probably doesn't find it boring because he thinks it's cool his two crew mates are in a relationship."

Usopp motioned his arms to form into an 'X'. "Can't be it! He did start laughing when I told Chopper about it which is why we found out he was eavesdropping. But NU UH! He wasn't interested in just you and Robin but also the concept of dating! So the only reason why he would be so curious is because..." He purposely didn't continue until he saw those eyes have a glint of fascination like the ship's doctor.

"Go on..." Franky said. He prayed he didn't sound too interested to what the long nose was about to say next.

Don't hide it. I see through that frown of yours. He chuckled, finally catching someone's attention instead of Chopper's. Usopp readied himself as he opened his mouth, the words just about to slip off his tongue but refused to do so. He shut it then to rub his chin which led to him shaking his head left to right continuously. "No, no, no, no, no. It couldn't be..." The cyborg raised an eyebrow. "I mean...this is Luffy we're talking about! He couldn't possibly..." Franky wasn't sure if he was stalling on purpose but if that wasn't his intention, it didn't matter because he grew impatient.

He stepped on the sharpshooter's foot, receiving a yelp. "Oi! Just say it already!"

The Straw Hat crew's liar rubbed his foot while murmuring words of pain. As he did this, he looked up at Franky to then shake his head at him. What was he saying 'no' for exactly? "It's a real stretch. This is probably the weirdest thing I ever theorized in all my living years and that says a lot." He paused. "Eh....no it's better unsaid."

Franky bonked the younger male's head. "Hey, stop that!"

"Sorry, sorry." Usopp told him as he waved his hand, signaling his apology. He stared at the door, that was behind Franky, remembering something worth mentioning. Just a few moments ago, Luffy was peeking his head through that doorway. He clapped his hands. It'd definitely backup his theory so the cyborg won't think he's coming up with some absurd lie or something obviously not true. "It's not a lie when I said he was interested in dating. In between his laughter, he slipped a question to us....

"Hm...what's dating anyways?"

"What?! And I know about that!"

"Chopper it's ok. Luffy is an idiot when it comes to these topics. It's best to just not say anything."

"I can hear you! Haha!"

"...he was laid-back when Chopper and I were teasing him about his idiocy. But then when we weren't planning on telling him our own take on what dating is any sooner, he turned serious all of a sudden...

"Oi. Usopp. Chopper. I'm not kidding though. What's the point of dating?"

"Well...I uhm. I never thought it needed explaining. I thought it was a word that everyone knows without it being told."

"No, no Chopper. You can sit this one out. I, the incredible Usopp with 8,000 followers, will tell Luffy of the great wonders of dating!"

"You're so cool, Usopp!"

"Luffy, it's simple really: dating is when you're with the person you like. The one that makes you really, really happy. Someone you don't just find as a friend but deeper than that. A feeling that separates from friendship all together. It's not the same as liking Chopper and I, it means you want that person to stay by your side for the rest of your life but not literally. A romantic feeling if you will. It's like you don't want that person to be with anyone else but yourself because you love them that much. Dating is to show people you both like each other and have a special connection that can't compare with anyone else."

"So that's the feeling I got when I saw you with Kaya."

"H-huh?"

"It didn't seem like you two were just nakamas. I guess you liked each other so much, it gave off this cool atmosphere. Haha! Good for you, Usopp!"

"T-thanks, Luffy."

"But how do you know when you two are both dating?"

"Usually after the guy asks the girl if she wants to be with him and says yes is when they're together. But it also counts when the girl reciprocates her feelings through her actions towards you. You'll know when you both have a relationship that's special. A relationship that differentiates from friendship. Think of it as doing things you wouldn't do with a nakama. Like kissing for example. You don't want to kiss Zoro but someone who you hold dear to your heart."

"Kissing Zoro? That's funny! But is that really it?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Right, Chopper?"

"Mm! Also I remember Brook telling me his love life before and how if she gives you weird feelings in your stomach, she's the one."

"Shishi, well I guess I am dating someone then. That's awesome!"

"...all that concluding on why I think Luffy likes someone non-friend like!" Franky's eyes stayed open for a while even after Usopp was done explaining. He crossed is arms and nodded, understanding why he'd have such an expression. It's shocking, right?"

A short silence. Until KABOOM! The cyborg's ears and his cheeks blew up into a dark pink all of a sudden. He then covered his entire face in embarrassment. Even though he was a grown man with a loving partner, he still got shy at conversations concerning 'crushes.' He was like a kid. But this was a different case for it involved two people he knew which made it more embarrassing. "U-usopp, if what you said is true...do you know what that means?"

"Huh?"

"Connect the dots."

"...."

"Straw Hat said it himself that he's dating someone. So let's say he's talking about someone on crew, there's only two women on the Thousand Sunny. One is already taken. Which leaves only one." Franky gulped. "Nami."

Usopp froze. The tension grew thicker. The silence lasted longer. The younger male looked at the floor with blinking eyes, trying to process what Franky meant. And just like that, the memory passed by his mind. Images of Chopper rushing out of the door and Luffy's winning smile. How did he fail in mentioning that? That was so important!

The cyborg, who was shocked at his own theory of Luffy liking Nami, suddenly shook his head in disbelief. "I shouldn't jump to conclusions. He probably had other female relationships before pursuing his dream. He might be thinking of an old friend of his before his adventure. Yeah, that's it!" It was clear that Franky just couldn't come to agree with himself. "So it's probably no one on board." He laughed nervously. "Imagine that. Luffy and Nami."

The sharpshooter ignored Franky for the only thing that played in his head were the words Luffy said after stepping out of the workshop. It was no wonder Usopp didn't recall it at first. The captain was mumbling his first sentence. Now it's not only Franky and Robin but also Nami and I. Sweet!

"No Franky I...I think you're right."

After hearing Usopp also agreeing with what he said, he didn't find the idea to be that crazy anymore. The two couldn't escape the truth. At that moment, the only ones who heard them were themselves as they yelled in unison, "Luffy thinks he's dating Nami?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **hi luffy x nami shippers! My work was originally created on wattpad! I'd like to explore other work/fanfic platforms and reach my writing to another audience! hope you enjoyed this chapter! i appreciate comments as well so feel free to leave some!**
> 
> **also if you couldn't tell, I used to ship zoro and nami when I first discovered one piece hehe**


	2. unexpected

_"Luffy thinks he's dating Nami?!" ___

__The realization struck them like a bullet. Their eye sockets popped, their hearts were racing, and they were screaming frantically. In Usopp's factory, it wasn't tense or quiet anymore. They were too dismayed to not let out their emotions out. Which, for some reason, was in the form of screaming._ _

__They were both running around like children who thought they saw a ghost. They ran in circles, not removing their astonished faces. Usopp slammed himself on the floor, clutching his hair while yelling, "Whatttttt?" and Franky plopped himself on one of the chairs and covered his mouth in doubt. They both knew they were being extremely mean for being surprised Nami took the future Pirate King's interest but it was such an unbelievable thought they made, they couldn't help being so taken back. It created so many questions but one stood tall from the rest: Does Nami know she's dating Luffy? No scratch that. Are they really dating in the first place? Cause if so, it wouldn't be a problem. But if they aren't and Luffy believes they are, that's a problem!_ _

__Usopp decided they were surprised long enough and talked of the thought. "Now that I think about it, of course it'd be Nami that'll steal Luffy's heart. Ever since I met those two and observed them together, them dating has always crossed my mind. But I stopped thinking about it whenever he'd keep calling her a friend." He scratched his head. "If they were dating, wouldn't they tell us? Even if they didn't say it directly, their actions towards each other would speak much more. They never did anything romantic together. And Robin being her would've told us if she saw Luffy and Nami doing anything couple-like. So does that mean..."_ _

__Franky nodded his head. "It means exactly what you think it means. They aren't dating at all and Nami is unaware Luffy thinks so." It was honestly, not only shocking, but so intriguing. Usopp and himself just discovered Luffy actually has those kind of feelings for the cat burglar. The girl! He likes her! The captain can't be so stupid to say they're dating without having real feelings for her. But then again, that boy is dense and misunderstands things easily. What if he mistook Usopp's words? What if he really doesn't know what he's doing and is still clueless as to what 'liking someone' means? If that's the case, he would be hurting Nami extremely if she secretly likes him. The shipwright's head began to ache. Does Nami like him like that, in the first place?! "Today's going to be pretty weird. Mugiwara is going to freak out everybody with his actions towards the navigator._ _

__"No way." Usopp flipped over and pushed himself up to sit with legs crossed. He seemed relaxed, not worrying about it. "He might think they're dating but Luffy probably doesn't know the basics like kissing, hugging, and holding hands. He didn't know what dating was anyways. "So he won't do anything too strange, I'm sure."_ _

__A sigh escaped the cyborg's lips as he made a face saying 'oops.' "Well..." He laughed awkwardly. "Let's just say that a little birdie had told him how to treat the woman you're dating...."_ _

__Usopp shrugged. He still didn't seem nervous. He really believes Luffy is a huge idiot. "What's the worse you could've told him?"_ _

__Franky frowned at his relaxation. Luffy liking someone romantically frightened him but what Luffy will do to the navigator next won't? "Clearly I had no idea what went in Luffy's head about him and Nami, so I simply told him hugging her by the waist is a good way to show you treasure her. Hugging her is a sign saying you'll protect her by all means. He liked it but said no because she'll get mad if he touched her. Then I simply said if she loves you, she wouldn't mind and he told me I was right and left." Now knowing the context and why he asked such a thing, he felt guilty for him since Nami will sure give him a beating for touching her around that area randomly. Or will she get flustered? Robin's words repeatedly played in his head but he chose to think about it another day. He wondered if the sharpshooter isn't so calm and he was right for he covered his face with both hands._ _

__The long nose male groaned. "Poor Luffy. If he ever finds Nami and does it, not only will he get punched for touching her waist but also for entering the kitchen."_ _

__"Oh yeah." He completely forgot to make sure he wouldn't go into the kitchen, orders from the orange head. "What is she doing in there that she doesn't want Luffy to see?"_ _

__"She's making macarons." Usopp stared up at the ceiling. "Didn't she tell you?"_ _

__He shook his head. "Don't think so. But for what?"_ _

__Then came Usopp's proud laughter as if he knew something Franky didn't. "Since I know about you and Robin as well, I was the only one Nami told."_ _

__"Oh?"_ _

__He slowly got off of the ground and crossed his arms smugly. He approached the factory's door to then turn around and grin. "Why don't you find out at dinner?" And he exited out of the factory in a dash after words were said._ _

__Franky stretched his arms and legs and placed his glasses on top of his head. His legs made its way out of the factory, pushing the door and being on the Thousand Sunny's deck. Smart move, long nose. He chuckled softly. You knew my patience wore out, how dare you not give me a real answer? His eyes met with the library's door and headed to it, knowing Robin would be sticking her nose in another book.  
________________________________________________________ _

__"Congratulations to Franky for finally having the guts to admit his feelings for Robin!" Nami cried, holding up her mug of booze. "Cheers!" And everyone raised up their drinks and laughed._ _

__Upon his entrance to the kitchen, he expected plates of food to be gone since he was late for dinner. Franky had such a great nap and thought the day would end with him happily eating what's left of dinner and spending more time with Robin at the library. How very wrong of him to assume. "W-what...What the hell is this?!" His peach colored face exploded into the darker shades of red as he stared at the banner saying 'Congratulations!' and hearing what Nami said so proudly. Even if it wasn't a surprise party of some sort, they definitely succeeded in surprising him._ _

__"Franky-san." Robin called him over, patting the available seat on the couch. "How kind of you to join us." She gave him a reassuring smile and took her eyes off him to look at the crew._ _

__The evening's atmosphere was like usual as food was practically being inhaled while Sanji competed with the men's appetite and kept cooking up a storm. The only difference is that Nami had held a celebration and asked Sanji to cook more food for tonight. She would, of course, give him a great amount of money to buy more food the next time they hit an island and to say thank you. But as they ate and ate, what lingered on their mind is that two crew mates had gotten together._ _

__The navigator gulped down her fourth bottle of booze and pointed at the cyborg across from her. "Oh Franky, help yourself! Sanji isn't cooking for only these idiots!"_ _

__Zoro, like all the other guys at the table, struggled with finishing off his plate before a stretching hand would come to steal it. As a consequence of not appreciating his food, though he wouldn't be able to because of his hungry captain, some had got stuck in his throat because of forcing so many helpings at once. He was choking and everyone was too busy to notice. Irritating as it was, the swordsman had to get out of this situation himself. An untouched glass of water was right in front of him, perfect for Zoro's taking. But also perfect for other's taking as well._ _

__"Mmm!" Luffy leaned back on his chair and patted his large belly that would disappear after a while. "All that food is making me thirsty!" Though drinks were right in front of him, he wasn't feeling booze right now. But water sounded amazing._ _

__The moss head used his left arm to reach for the glass, his fingers already about to grip it. Until another stretched arm had appeared and took the one thing he really needed. That damn captain!_ _

__"Shishi! Thanks Zoro! You knew just what I needed but I can get it myself you know." Luffy grinned, gulping down the cold, refreshing water._ _

__The swordsman would kill for another glass of water to appear. He would've targeted Luffy for that since he was pissed at him for stealing his food and the water he was obviously aiming for. Luckily, the very kind reindeer, the only one who took notice, screamed when seeing what state he was in._ _

__"Gahhhh!!!" Chopper turned into his human-like form and went to his side. "Zoro's choking! We need a doctor asap!" The reindeer stood there, waiting for his crew mates to take more initiative instead of seemingly looking calm. But then he realized why they didn't seem to panic. They already trusted someone to handle such situations. And here he was. "Oh! That's me!" The strong animal forced the napper off his seat and put his arms around the guy's stomach from behind. "Ok One!" Chopper tugged his arms onto his stomach, trying to make Zoro spit out the stuck food. "Two!" He did it once more and prayed that the third would be a charm. "Three!" With Kami's kindness, the third was a charm and the food flew out of Zoro's throat and hit Brook's head._ _

__"Yohoho! A bone? How careless of you!" Brook said when seeing what Zoro choked on and the moss head tsked in embarrassment._ _

__But after now being able to breathe, he pulled out one of his katanas and was prepared to slice his captain up into little pieces. "You moron! If you didn't steal any food, I wouldn't have to hurry in eating my meal and wouldn't have choked!" Luffy didn't feel threatened at all. He thought his first mate was doing some performance so he only laughed in response._ _

__Nami knew Zoro wouldn't dare hurt his captain but still wanted to separate the two before any accidents happen. She grabbed his broad shoulders and pulled his body backwards. "Enlighten up, Zoro. We still have macarons!" She smiled, distracting him from his katana wanting to hit Luffy._ _

__"Ugh, fine!"_ _

__Robin firmly rested her head onto Franky's metal arm. She giggled softly at her crew's behavior. "It sure is lively tonight. Kenshi-san was about to kill our captain."_ _

__The cyborg's cheek turned pink. "Yeah. But it's good they're focusing on anything other than the news Nami said earlier."_ _

__"Ok listen up! Sanji and I made macarons for Robin and Franky's day hahaha!" She held a tray of the two flavors in each hand and presented it on one side of the long table and then on the other side. "Enjoy!"_ _

__"Spoke too soon, I'm afraid." With her powers, her hand emerged from the table and grabbed two cookie n cream macarons. It was then in her grasp at the couch and she handed one to the shipwright. His deep frown did not went unnoticed to her as he threw the delicious treat in his mouth. "Oh please don't be too upset." She chuckled at him. "If you're angry, it should be me who you're angry at, not Nami."_ _

__She had a point. Franky tore his glare at Nami and met eye contact with Robin. "That's true. How else would she have known?"_ _

__"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. You did want to keep it a secret for at least a day. Now everyone knows."_ _

__He gave her the biggest smile he can make. "What can we do about it? Everyone seems to accept it and that's what matters." Hesitantly, he bent his head to kiss Robin's forehead and she kindly laughed at his action._ _

__Usopp sighed, staring away at the love scene he and Nami just witnessed. Everyone was absorbed with the macarons that it hadn't occurred to them the couple was sitting together in the corner. "Young love...." He murmured as he ate, this time, a matcha flavored macaron. "You did a good job, Nami."_ _

__The navigator, beside him, smiled. "You can't say that when they're older than you. And thank you." She told him as she ate Sanji's incredible cookie n cream treats. Delicious as always._ _

__"I just really miss Kaya." The long nose guy blurted out. His cheeks flushed when he realized how careless he was for saying such._ _

__Nami sipped her booze slowly this time. "You two were a great match. Though I'm sure she'll drop you if she figured out you were telling her complete lies."_ _

__And the sharpshooter laughed at that. She'll surely be upset the first time around. But, as much as he hates to say this, putting the conversation of Kaya aside, he couldn't help but think of the relationship Nami and Luffy have. He thought of just simply asking her. The atmosphere was perfect for it and she wasn't drunk nor was she sober. This was a good chance. He could at least get something out of her, no matter how unimportant it is about what she felt towards Luffy. If she felt anything, that is. "Hey Nami."_ _

__The navigator had put her head down on the dinner table. "Hm?" She didn't look up at him._ _

__The long nose put his elbow onto the table and rested his chin on his hand. He glanced over at Luffy who wore his signature smile while savoring the dessert with Chopper and Zoro. Surprisingly the guy didn't stuff his cheeks full of macarons. He instead took his time. Though Usopp was talking with Nami, he kept his eyes on his captain and noticed how he rarely touched the cookie n cream ones. It seemed he enjoyed the matcha ones the best and he made that very clear by shouting, "These are great!" The captain's glance towards the navigator wasn't missed by the sharpshooter. Usopp was just about to shake her shoulder but decided that wasn't the wisest of decisions. "You hear that? He's complimenting you."_ _

__Nami still didn't pick up her head off the table. A mere 'uh huh' was her only response._ _

__"I wanted to ask if you liked anyone in the way I like Kaya." His gaze met upon Sanji's figure. Behind the Marimo, he snatched his and Nami's macarons off the tray and popped one into his mouth. Seeing that both trays were nearly empty, he went back to the kitchen to retrieve another two._ _

__She was barely audible before but Nami's voice was well heard even with her face all over the dining table. "How can I when my main focus before was to earn money? Even now, I'm stuck on the sea. There's never a chance for that."_ _

__"So? You can like someone on board." And he knew it caught her attention very well by the way she stopped tapping her fingers on one of the glass cups. "It's not impossible. Look at Franky and Robin." He thought staring at her for too long or saying something interesting would stop her from burying her face in her left arm as she slouched onto the table. But she still didn't budge. "Do you like anyone on here that way?" And surely he had struck a nerve and Nami went stiff altogether. Gotcha._ _

__The cat burglar didn't understand why she was letting him ask such. With her fist, he can knock him out for a few minutes to stray from this topic and get out of there before he asks any further questions. But somehow, she allowed for this conversation to continue. She was feeling great today, she had to admit. Mainly because the clever, female devil-fruit user has been clearly happy nowadays which made Nami happy too. What's the harm in Usopp's question anyways? A lot actually. But she can always avoid it, not giving him much of an answer. He knew if he pushed her to say more, he'd only be on the ground in pain as a result. "That's ridiculous." She started off. "All the men on here are complete idiots. I wouldn't even dream to be in a relationship with one of them..."_ _

__"Oi, Nami." Zoro's deep voice had been heard in front of her. "Luffy wants to know when you'll bake more often so he can be there to help. Oh and he told me to tell you he really likes the-" He paused his sentence to see the orange head not paying attention to him. He can hear her mumbling but didn't make up the words she was saying. "Are you listening, witch?" His name for her should strike a fight. Seeing her pick up her own head showed he was right. "Haha, did that upset you? Well you weren't listening so....oi are you okay?" With Nami's face now being revealed, her cheeks were so red that you'd think she was drunk. But Nami is never drunk. That's a trait Zoro found impressing but also despised. Her talent of having no max to drinking caused his debt to only grow larger whenever they had competitions. She sat down straight this time and looked down at the table._ _

__"Liking someone? In this crew? T-that's..." Nami didn't understand why she was suddenly taking his question so seriously. Maybe it's because of how warm it is in here. Her face felt way too hot. It must be messing with her rationally because she's starting to say unnecessary things now. "Even if I did like someone-" She kept quiet all of a sudden._ _

__The swordsman raised a brow. "What are you talking about, woman?" And he looked over at Usopp, who had been keeping her company, for an answer. His eyes completely focused on her showing he was eager to hear what she'll say next._ _

__Don't look at him, don't look at him! Nami thought in her head repeatedly. If you do, Usopp will know! She cursed herself, what was she doing? She refused to blame herself for her behavior. Stupid heat! It's nighttime. Shouldn't it be chilly?_ _

__"Yeah Nami. Let's hear it. What are you talking about?" Usopp eagerly smiled. He was jumping up and down his seat in a way. If she ever gives a glance at Luffy, that means she does like him! Cmon Nami! Just meet eyes with- huh? Oh no. Oh no no no no no. This was not at all what he was expecting._ _

__Nami glanced over at Zoro who stayed confused as ever and quickly looked away. Dammit! Am I stupid? Her face burst into the same color as her red shorts she was wearing that moment. She furrowed her eyebrows and embarrassingly frowned. She knew very well that's the reaction he wanted. Even while knowing, why would she do that then? I couldn't help myself! He wanted to so desperately know who Nami likes. He wanted her to look at him after she kept denying of having feelings for a crew member. All this could be avoided if she just acted like usual and cut off all that talk with a fist to his face. No hesitance whatsoever, her fist then flew into Usopp's face. "Idiot! Do you think I didn't see through your plan? I was only messing with you. I wasn't serious at all, you know!" If she acted like this, maybe the coward would dismiss her strange words. "I'm not like you, I'm not crazy in love with anyone like you are with Kaya." She stuck her tongue out at him and grinned at his growing red cheeks._ _

__"N-N-N-Nami! Shut up!"_ _

__Seeing how she made Usopp feel embarrassed was much better than for her to be that way. But she felt awkward after that. She was sitting by herself now that the long nose was punched off of his seat. Could that be the reason? Unlikely. His stare was too obvious, Nami finally concluded to herself._ _

__Before she could even look up, Zoro shifted his position of standing up from sitting down across from her. Thought she wasn't sure if her punch and words dismissed Usopp, it sure seemed to work on Zoro. He was unbothered, probably thinking she was just being her usual self. He was half-right to say the least._ _

__The sizzle of a cap popping out was heard below the table and as his hand emerged out of it, a bottle of beer is what he held. He tightened his grip and tilted his head back to take a few chugs of the drink. When done, he met Nami's eyes and pointed at the beer a bit farther down the table. She shook her head, rejecting the idea of drinking some more. After a good 3-4 minutes passed, realizing he was just there and didn't really need anything from her, she pushed her hands onto the table to get herself off the seat and sped towards the kitchen's door. With a push and a close of the door, she stretched her arms and took in the amazing feeling of the nighttime air. She had no clue why it was so hot in the kitchen to begin with. Sanji had stopped cooking for a while. Her feet was just about to lead her near the edge of the ship, to stare at the dark ocean waves and stars up in the sky, but was interrupted by the creak of the door closing behind her. She wasn't surprised that it was him who decided to come outside, too._ _

__

__Usopp coughed so loud to get Franky's attention. The cyborg took his arm off of Robin's shoulders and nodded his head frantically saying he saw that too. They tried communicating with each other by mouthing their statements across the room but it was too difficult. He looked over at Robin and apologized. She nodded her head, understanding what he meant and he went to sit next to Usopp to hear each other more clearly._ _

__"How should we tell this to Luffy...." The long nose said, already sympathizing for the rubber man._ _

__"I really thought she liked him. Robin said so, too. But after that scene...."_ _

__"Yeah, I know. I can't believe she likes Zoro." He disappointedly shook his head. "Why else would she say she likes someone and then glance at Zoro instead of Luffy? She could've easily punched me without looking at anyone!"_ _

__Franky agreed. "Yeah!" He then deadpanned. "Wait that's still not a good thing on your part."_ _

__"And you can't argue with me that she glancing at Zoro didn't mean a thing because it did. She was blushing after meeting eyes with him!" Usopp looked across the room. They were pretty loud, he had to admit. Of course the rest of the crew could care less about what he and Franky were talking about. But, generally speaking, when you hear your name being said, it's like instinct to want to know what for. Zoro can have sharp ears sometimes, so why isn't he confronting them about a conversation that's about him? "Hey wait a minute, where is he?"_ _

__There was a reason why it was said that Zoro doesn't have the most sharpest ears because that entire skill is already given to someone else. "Kenshi-San?" Robin asked, confirming if that's who he was talking about it. A slight nod said enough. "He just left. He followed Nami out, did you not notice?"_ _

__"W-what?!" Usopp yelled. He looked over at Luffy and he can see his captain staring out of the kitchen's door small window. He frowned a tiny bit, looking either disappointed to see Nami leave or disappointed Zoro went after her first. Usopp couldn't even come to a conclusion for it because with a snap, his mood changed so quickly and he went back to mess around with Brook and Sanji. As if not knowing the expression he made when seeing her gone._ _

__Oh Luffy..._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I'm copying my chapters onto here but since the format is different when it comes to bolding and italicizing, I need to look over it once more and add the HTML. This format is really interesting and a bit tedious but hey I'm sure it'll help improve my memory!**
> 
> **if anyone wants to give me tips or anything i should know about ao3, pls comment! also kudos and comments are always appreciated! love you all! ******


	3. no, she doesn't

His taps hit the wooden deck in such an unnecessary, loud manner. He can tap his foot all he wants, but she won't give in to the annoying noises he's making. He wants her attention so bad that he has the nerve to provoke her with the hard _thump, thump_ of his foot. She couldn't even try to ignore because noises like that distracted the hell out of her. And that man knows that very well. She closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths. Can't the guy leave her alone? What does he think she came out here for? To hear his stupid tapping? She wants some time to herself, he can see that. To smell the ocean breeze and calmly look out up above. Just by herself with no one around. She only wants peace. But maybe this is him getting back at her for all the times she woke him up from his naps to fetch her things that she is very capable of doing herself. She technically destroyed his peace multiple times. That's probably the reason why, isn't it?

"Turn around, woman." He stopped the creaking noise when speaking to show her that he was serious and is not trying to upset her anymore. "Let me talk to you."

The fact that such a guy wanted to start a conversation amused her. Someone who rather would sleep than listen to a backstory of yours, someone who is really only interested in swords and nothing else, wanted to _talk._ And she knew it's not a talk about swords, too. How can she not turn around now? She was too curious. "Make it quick."

A response like that was a sign of approval to the swordsman. "So what the hell happened back there?"

Nami shook her head. It's true that he genuinely wanted to talk but please for the love of Kami, she did not want to talk about that right now. "Zoro please, not now." She let out a huge groan, letting him know that yes, she was avoiding that topic.

"Fine." He walked over to her, leaning on the deck's rail facing the kitchen's door instead of the ocean. "But you actually acted like a woman for once." He couldn't help but smirk at her expression from earlier in the dining room. "You know, your face being red and all."

Nami blushed furiously at his words. "I _always_ act like a woman, excuse you!"

"99% of the time you're just a bossy bitch. Not very feminine-like to me." He still held his smirk, gazing over at her flushed face. She didn't act like the confident woman like always but instead was as shy as Chopper. It's a rare sight to see the navigator so hot because it's hard to get her so flustered.

But something from the kitchen's window caught his eye. When focusing his gaze to that direction, Brook was there watching the two of them with soulless eyes. Sheesh, he had none first of all. And when the musician took notice of Zoro staring back at him, he winked. The swordsman _thought_ it was a wink. The guy had no eyelids or eyes to properly show it! What was the wink for anyways?

A figure then appeared behind the tall skeleton, peeking through the circular window, who looked rather curious as to what Brook kept focusing on. As Luffy realized what caught Brook's attention, he held a blank face instead of a smile. Not being used to receiving Luffy's death glare, Zoro broke eye contact with his captain and awkwardly tried to move out of the kitchen door's view. He couldn't normally speak if two crew mates of his would be staring the whole time.

"Hey. Where do you think you're going?" Zoro walked away from her for an unknown reason and she didn't seem to realize the two were being watched that moment.

The swordsman was a good distance away from the kitchen now and was ok with saying something back to her. "First you wanted to be left alone because you ignored me in the beginning. Now you don't want me to leave you by yourself. Suddenly scared of the dark now?" He teased. Luckily, Nami decided to walk to where he was now, leaving Brook and Luffy to stare at nothing.

She rolled her eyes, going to his direction. It was weird to talk to a friend who's over 10 feet away from you. "By the way, is that all you wanted to talk about?" She ignored his comment about her being a scaredy-cat. "About why I became red when looking at you?" His nod told her she was right. "Then forget about it, you won't get an answer out of me."

"Doesn't matter since I kinda have a hint." Her confused gaze that told him she wanted to know what he thinks he knows, made him continue on. "Connecting your tomato cheeks to the stuff you were blabbing gave me a clue on why you looked like that. But I'm probably wrong anyways. It's a bit of a stretch." No matter what his theory was, Nami stared at him with worried eyes, scared that he does know her reason. But he let his train-of-thought ride pass his mind before he would say a word.

Looking at the way the mikan lover glanced at the moss head, one would think she likes him. Zoro knew very well that was far from the truth. In no universe would Nami like him or he and her be an item _ever._ Based on Usopp and Nami's conversation, the topic was about if the navigator had any slight interest in her crew mates. He tried replaying the important scenes in his head. She became hesitant in denying and mostly gave up at that point. As much as the napper hated to admit, he knew this greed monster's thinking based on his observations. He could even tell that Usopp wasn't leaving without an answer from the weather freak and she decided in order for him to leave her alone, she'll give him a false presentation of what he wanted. He tried to figure out a situation where Nami had to look at Zoro, himself and it only came down to one. The situation was this: Usopp thought he would know who Nami liked if she glanced at him as she denied. Like he thought from the start, she did not want to be with a guy like him and it was the same for Zoro. This means the navigator decided to look at Zoro to misdirect her true feelings for another crew member.

It's a stretch, indeed. And the swordsman truly thought it might not be it and chose to not mention it. He sighed though, all that hard thinking to only not be told. Oh well.

Nami frowned at his figure not moving a muscle. He stood there silently. "Can you just say it already? I don't have all night, idiot. I wanna go to bed, too."

The train in his brain suddenly disappeared, making him go back to reality and not be lost in his thoughts anymore. He blinked a bit, staring at the orange head's impatient expression. "Then go to bed." He passed by her, wanting to go back into the kitchen to escape from her punches. He wasted her time by standing there for five minutes saying nothing, of course she'd be mad. Plus, she wouldn't want to go back inside the kitchen anyways. He didn't conclude an actual reason but based on how she hesitated to follow him again, proved him right. "Have fun sleeping, witch."

Nami was left defeated. She didn't want to go to the kitchen and that was clearly where he was heading. All she could retort back was one word being, 'asshole' and because there was nothing else for her to do, her feet led the way to the women's quarters. Originally where she would go after she got sick of staring at the waves. Not until Zoro had to interrupt what she considered her 'peaceful time to herself.'  
________________________________________

"Yohohoho! Love is in the air! Don't you agree, Luffy?" Brook asked, after watching the two walk away from kitchen door sight. He didn't show it but the musician was a bit surprised to see the captain also stalking Zoro and Nami from behind him. A grin crept up his face when seeing a glimpse of the rubber man's upset expression, while watching his crew mates walk farther away. 

Luffy shifted his gaze over to the skeleton and laughed at words he deemed to be false. "Between Nami and Zoro? Haha I guess."

"I must disagree with you. Those two fight and quarrel most of the time, it must be their way of hiding their feelings for each other, don't you think?" Brook wanted more of a reaction than that fake one. "The concept is common."

The kitchen was no longer as lively as before. The crew tried to figure out if Brook was being serious or not. Brook's quietness told them no joke was made. Franky was the one to speak first. Just as Usopp and him feared: someone blabbing about Zoro and Nami being a thing, unknowingly in front of the guy supposedly dating her. Sure they already knew the navigator possibly does like the swordsman but they rather tell the captain that in a less heartless way. Hearing that she goes well with someone that's not Luffy, himself, can be painful. The coward and shipwright really don't entirely know whether Luffy really does like her, but they assume the captain isn't stupid and knows that you date someone you really, really like. "Oi, Brook! You playing matchmaker or something? Don't be shipping people all of a sudden."

The musician chuckled softly. "Yoho! Why so upset?" He glanced over at Robin who merely smiled at the outburst he had caused. "Robin-san? What do you think?"

The archeologist smiled some more. "The thought of Zoro and Nami being together isn't impossible."

"That's not a no!"

"Yes, it's not."

Franky's jaw dropped. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Luffy sitting down on one of the seats with his elbow propped on the table, using his palm to rest his chin on. His gaze was locked towards Robin's direction. The shipwright, too, glanced over to her wondering what she was up to. Until he shifted his gaze to the captain when hearing his voice.

"Nami doesn't like Zoro."

The way a person says something is significant. Words spoken can be heard differently depending on the voice's tone. The crew knows two tones Luffy goes by. A playful one and a serious one. A relaxed voice whenever there's a party or when he's merely just hanging out with his crew. And a blunt, deadly tone that's usually always used in battles between enemies. But speaking that way also shows that what they're saying is serious and isn't meant to be taken as a joke. Everyone in the kitchen knew Luffy didn't use that tone because he was going against an enemy. But because what was said was genuine, not meant to be funny at all.

It was confusing though. Either Luffy couldn't take being serious any longer or he tried to play off his sudden tone with a joking one so his crew wouldn't think he was actually upset.

"Shishi! They fight a lot y'know. It's like they hate each other. I don't think Nami likes him that much if she yells at him all the time." The rubberman told while laughing away.

Robin didn't miss the sudden switch of his tone. She also definitely knew a fake smile when she sees one. But she couldn't help but provoke him a bit further to see a certain reaction of his. "Brook could be correct. Knowing navigator-san, that's probably how she hides her true feelings."

Franky and Usopp exchanged worried glances. They both knew that hearing something like that from Robin, who always speaks the truth, can really hurt. The long nose bit his nails in fear when seeing their captain gape slightly at Robin's response. But the shipwright then made a horrified face when the thought of Luffy telling his crew, right there and then, that he and Nami are dating crossed his mind. Blue hair quickly got to his feet and raced over to Luffy's side to cover his mouth before he can retort anything. "Woah there, Straw Hat haha." He sweat dropped seeing all his other crew mates look confusingly at his action. "You...you were about to yell at her, right? That's not cool....hahahaha." He couldn't have made a better, fake laugh.

Luffy's muffled screaming can faintly be heard behind the cyborg's huge hand. Of course he'd be upset at what Franky said. The rubber man wasn't going to yell at Robin or anything for disagreeing with him. But Franky had to lie about why he covered his mouth in the first place. He couldn't actually say the truth. The shipwright eyed his captain with an apologetic gaze and Luffy looked back at him. _Sorry, Straw Hat._ Luffy's furrowed eyebrows disappeared and nodded his head, showing he understood. He chose to let Franky's lie slide.

Blue hair didn't think it would affect anyone except for Luffy but why had he forgotten about the cook of the ship? "LUFFY. Were you about to get mad at my sweet Robin-chwan?" Sanji pushed the cyborg aside, not caring he referred to the archaeologist that way in front of her significant other. "I'll give you a good kick to remind you to never _think_ of raising your voice to a lady."

"Eh?!" Franky had already let go of his hand and Luffy finally could speak freely.

By then, the rubber man was running around the table in circles trying to tire his cook. But Sanji wasn't going to play his game and decided to cut to the chase by tricking his food-loving captain into thinking he'll be getting everyone's dinner tomorrow if he stayed still. He immediately obeyed but regretted it as he saw a flying Sanji about to give him a kick to the face. Luffy, thinking rationally, took a small step to his left, moving away from the kitchen's door. The door creaked open and in came the swordsman unaware of the loving present he'd receive that second. Instead of the rubber man being kicked, the cook's foot met Zoro's face. The two rivals were out of the kitchen and they landed on the deck's floor with pissed off looks.

"You stupid marimo! You some masochist or something? Do you like getting kicked in the face?"

The green haired male scowled. "Shut the hell up, you dumbass!" He looked behind the blonde to see Luffy give a sigh of relief. It didn't take him long to understand the situation. "Was Luffy your target? No wonder your bounty is low, you have no aim at all."

Usopp groaned, seeing that Zoro worsened it even more and a good five minutes of spatting at each other was created. "Ah shit, here we go again."

Chopper and Brook nodded their heads. "Mhm."

"How did we even get here?" The small doctor questioned, looking at Luffy laughing away now. _His mood changes quickly..._

The sharpshooter pointed at the tall skeleton. "He started it."

The musician picked up his violin and played a sad tune. He ignored Usoop. "Oh how heartbreaking! How painful! Our poor captain..." His eyes were closed, wearing a frown while playing his classical instrument.

A 'huh' came out of the long nose's mouth. "What are you talking about?"

Brook then picked up Chopper and placed him on his bony shoulders as he repeated his sad melody. The reindeer shrugged at the known liar. "Straw Hat's jealousy! Don't you see? He rather have Nami like him instead!" Though it seemed like he was yelling all this, it wasn't the case for he was just quietly speaking to his two-man audience.

That broke a sweat. Is Luffy actually jealous? There's not real good evidence to support that. But why is so much happening all in one day? Robin and Franky are a couple, Luffy is supposedly dating Nami, Nami probably likes Zoro, Brook and Robin think Nami and Zoro would make a nice match, and then Brook saying stuff that he knows will rile up mugiwara. What the hell.... "Wait a minute. What side are you even on? Are you rooting for Nami to get with Zoro or with Luffy?" He noticed Robin glancing over at the three and he covered his mouth to whisper so she wouldn't read his lips.

Brook also noticed her staring but instead of acting secretive, he gave her a thumbs up and a wink. "Luffy-san, of course."

Reindeer hooves swung back and forth as Chopper, still sitting on Brook's shoulders, listened in to their conversation. "Ehh? Then why did you keep talking about Zoro?"

A womanly figure decided to join in their talk. She left Franky's side and went to sit by Brook, taking Chopper off of him to put the small reindeer on her lap. She answered the doctor's question instead. "Well it was originally my plan." The skeleton gently chuckled at her. "We thought we'd give Luffy a little push so he can finally admit the truth."

Franky gulped and so did Usopp. The sharpshooter stuttered a bit when asking what she meant by 'truth.'

"You know exactly what I mean."

"FUCK." Just a couple feet away, the conversation had to come to an end when Zoro loudly cussed. The crew that remained in the kitchen peeked through the open door to see the swordsman shielding himself with all three of his swords as Sanji continuously aimed to kick his stomach. With the exception of Nami, the whole crew had set their eyes on the rivalry duo. "Stupid cook! Leave me alone!"

The curly brow blonde sneered and his kicks grew more aggressive at the nickname he received. "Out of all the people the crew chose to ship my sweet, precious Nami-swan with, why was it you?!" His eyes flared up into flames. "Nami liking you?! Why can't everyone think she likes me!" Sanji's anger died down to sadness suddenly. His own words made him depressed. He stopped his kicks and then fell to his knees, murmuring the navigator and stupid green-haired crew mate's name.

Zoro rolled his eyes at his sudden change of emotions. "So what if everyone's saying that? Not like it's true."

"But what if it is?!"

The moss head already felt sleepy and really didn't want to anger the stupid blonde even more. He thought what he'd say next would make his usual rival go away, but he was way too wrong. "Still doesn't matter. I wouldn't want to be with that witch."

Sanji tsked. "I wouldn't expect anything better from you! Leaving Nami heartbroken just like that _if_ she even likes a thick-headed guy like you!"

Realizing the perverted guy wasn't planning on using more of his energy to pick a fight with him, Zoro drew his katanas back. "Urudasai! That woman doesn't like me like that! And I don't like her like that either."

Behind the swordsman and cook, mugiwara couldn't resist the urge but to smile that moment, Robin noted. It was as if Zoro's words alone proved his theory from earlier. But maybe also because his first mate wouldn't be a threat to him anymore. The archaeologist grinned. _Luffy's probably thinking that. Does he not know how obviously relieved he looks?_ She can see the silly rubber man get himself up, fix that straw hat of his, throw his hands behind his head, all while whistling, and marching away to what she predicts to be the room her and Nami stays in. His signature 'shishi' was made clear, showing the happy mood he, now, was in thanks to the green-haired male. She took her eyes off the man that made enemies with the world government for her because of the distracting noise Usopp was making next to her.

The sharpshooter bit his nails back and forth when seeing Luffy walk away after what Zoro said. He nudged the shipwright's arm. "Look at him, Franky. He's obviously mad because Nami likes someone who doesn't feel the same way as her. He's definitely going to do something." Usopp's eyes followed Luffy taking his leave until he was limited to see more of the deck for staying in the kitchen.

"Totally." Franky replied, slowly getting up. "He's so going to tell her that Zoro said it himself that he has no feelings for her and it will shatter Nami's heart." He began heading to the door. "We should stop him."

Usopp followed in pursuit. "Agreed."

As the two exited out of the kitchen, all that was left was Brook, Robin, and Chopper but the reindeer was already fast asleep. The skeleton and bookworm both shared disappointed glances with one another.

"What are they talking about..." Brook asked while sighing. "Surely they don't _actually_ believe Nami has a thing for Zoro, right?"

Robin shook her head and sighed as well. "Unfortunately, I think that's the case."

Both of the adults got up from their seats and decided to leave the kitchen, too. Robin carried the small doctor in her arms while passing by the duo that, even though weren't physically fighting, _still_ had the energy to argue. As they walked across the middle of the deck, Brook quickened his pace to stand in front of Robin to keep her still. He put his hands in front of him, his palms facing the night sky. She raised an eyebrow, not understanding his gesture. "I'll be heading to the men's quarters, so I'll carry him from here." Robin opened her mouth to say something but he interrupted. "Please." He reached for the sleeping animal. "I insist."

She turned her body to force the musician's hands to grab onto thin air. She smiled at him. "I'm quite alright, but thank you." She would make her way to the women's quarters if she could. She peeked behind the tall skeleton's shoulders to see Franky and Usopp in the distance talking to Luffy. The captain was already very near there. It'd be awkward to pass by them and enter. She'd also interrupt what the rubber man wanted to do, if he even had an intention to go to Nami. She decided to kill some of her time at the library with the sleeping reindeer on her lap. It would be nice to end her day like such. She looked up to see Brook be taken back by her refusal. All the other men in the ship were occupied with their business, making the skilled violinist be with only himself. She could use some company for the time-being. "If you had no other plans for this evening, why not join me in reading a good set of books?"

Brook couldn't be any more grateful. "I would love that."  
____________________________________________________

Usopp walked along side Franky. Today has been eventful but tonight will top it all off and not in a good way. If the two lets Luffy go through that doorway, it won't be pretty. The long nose already anticipated to see Luffy's figure fly out of the room due to Nami's punch if they were too late to stop him. He decided they need a plan before confronting their captain. "Ok, listen up Franky." He called out his name but the cyborg ignored it. "Let's-" Not even a whole sentence in, Franky cut off his words to just go with the flow, no plan required.

"MUGIWARA, STOP."

"....ok nevermind." A sigh escaped his lips.

"Eh?" Luffy turned around, seeing two of his crew mates wearing serious expressions. "What's up?"

Franky maneuvered his way to the entrance of the door that separated the women's room to the deck. With his cyborg body, he blocked the door pretty well and then responded to his captain's question. "Why are you going to Nami?" He did his best to look menacing by crossing his arms and looking down at the shorter one of the two.

The rubber man frowned, not liking the obstacle in front of him. He tried going around him but Franky moved so that he was still blocking him. He went around the other side and the blue hair did the same. The silly captain decided to do that over but really quickly, hoping the shipwright would be too slow to catch up with him. But it didn't go like he thought it would and Franky matched up with his speed. Luffy still ran to both of his sides, trying to get past him to go to Nami, and thought he was tiring him out by doing so. That way, he'll give up chasing him and the meat lover can easily get in. But again, it didn't go the way he planned because it was himself that began to get tired. He pouted, knowing he can't ignore the question if he wanted to see his navigator. "Fineeee. I give up." He pretended to place his bottom onto the wooden deck and when Franky grinned and turned over to Usopp, Luffy thought he could slip his way past this time. And it worked. Franky didn't try blocking him because he hadn't known he'd be tricked. It still wasn't a good thing because it was instead Usopp that saw through Luffy's lie and blocked him from entry. Mugiwara gave up and slammed himself on the ship's ground. He stuck his tongue out at the both of them. "Bleghhhh. Alright, I'll tell you guys."

"Seriously? No games?" Usopp asked.

He nodded.

Franky sighed in relief, trusting him. "Good."

Luffy shrugged his shoulders after looking at the two who went through the trouble to stop him from entering the women's quarters for god knows what. He didn't understand. "I think you guys are making a big deal out of this. I just want to see Nami before I go to sleep."

The sharpshooter and shipwright glanced at each other and had winning smiles on. They finally have the chance to confirm if Luffy knows what he's doing and what is his true feelings! They had completely forgotten their original objective of stopping him. "Why?" A dumb question from Usopp, one would think. But every word coming from Luffy's mouth will be confirmation of their theories and questions.

The captain did find it a dumb question. He did recall telling him and Chopper. "I told you already. Nami and I are together." The coward was too quick to try asking another question that would verify what was just said. But Luffy already understood what would come out of his mouth. "Like 'Franky-and-Robin' together. Isn't that what you do? Spend time with the person you're with?" The captain scratched the side of his face, unsure himself.

The cyborg gave a thumbs up to the long nose, knowing that answer alone was enough. It actually clarified that Luffy does think he's dating Nami unlike Usopp's memory that wasn't strong enough evidence. The two knew themselves they couldn't go off what Usopp remembered Luffy saying so it was good that their theory ended up being correct. But it still didn't explain if Nami was aware of Luffy's thoughts. Franky was the one to ask first. "Mugiwara. What about Nami? Does she know she's with you in that way?"

Luffy paused, about to say something. But closed his mouth before he said anything idiotic.

Usopp nodded his head, seeing that Luffy knows she doesn't know and was about to lecture his captain on how that isn't good. But he couldn't.

"Well you like her, right?" Franky interrupted Usopp. The coward loudly whispered to him on what the hell he was doing and why he can't wait until after he tells Luffy it's wrong. But the cyborg didn't bother answering. Luffy isn't some dumb teen who doesn't understand _everything._ He is aware of certain things. Usopp did tell the rubber man one will date a person they truly like. Luffy just can't misinterpret something so simple. So if he just answers this one question....it'll determine if-

"Are you stupid?" Luffy's eyebrows were furrowed now. His glare that can be as dangerous as his Haki was given right at Franky, whose 'scary' pose dropped to a slightly frightened one. Next to him, Usopp was already away from the women's quarters door, looking away from his captain's gaze. If Usopp didn't turn around, they'd see his eyes streaming with scared tears. The long nose's absence from his side distracted the shipwright as he stared at his friend's back. Luffy took that opportunity to get past the cyborg. Though Franky was aware of him going inside the room, he didn't stop him this time. But blankly stared at the back of his signature red vest. Blue hair then jumped up and joined the spot Usopp was at, a place farther away from the women's quarters. It's weird to just stay behind mugiwara while Nami opens the door. That would be awkward.

"Luffy?" The navigator was finally seen. Franky realized Luffy hadn't even knocked but she still opened the door. "I thought I heard something out here, what do you need?"

The captain used his left hand to push the door so that it gave him a larger entrance. Nami stumbled a bit as he opened the door even more without her permission. "I'm coming in." The door was wide open, perfect for the rubberman to just leisurely walk in. He threw both his hands behind his head and laughed. "Pardon the intrusion." Nami stood in place, too confused to stop him before he got deeper inside Robin and her room.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

The tangerine lover's yelling made him frown. "What's wrong? I wanted to see you." He looked back to see Usopp's back and Franky's owl eyes. Luffy grinned, stuck his tongue out, and closed the door behind him. The only thing the cyborg was able to get before the door slammed shut was Nami's angry protests. A couple minutes past and it seemed like she didn't choose to kick him out. Usually, he'd already be out of that room in a heartbeat. But maybe she had a change of heart.

"F-Franky? Did he go in?" Usopp glanced up at his crewmate.

"Mhm." Franky waited a couple of seconds until he strided back to the kitchen. The sharpshooter followed his lead.

"I'm so going to yell at him tomorrow. Did you hear that silence? He pretty much didn't deny that she has no clue what relationship Luffy thinks he has with her."

"But Nami might have a little bit of feelings for our captain. She hasn't kicked him out yet. From what I hear, the only ones who is ever allowed in there are the girls and that's the rule Nami made up. So why else would she let him stay? Because she-"

Usopp wagged a finger. "Hey, hey. She likes Zoro, remember?"

The shipwright loudly groaned and punched the air, almost forgetting what happened in the kitchen. "You're right! This is so confusing! NOT SUPA!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **i hope my chapters aren't too lengthy to read? I've gotten so used to writing between 4000-5000 words that I can't stop. btw i have 7 chapters in total of this work posted on wattpad! I will be pasting those chapters here during this week! have an amazing day!**


	4. not lying

Luffy woke up to the smell of breakfast that morning. He also woke up on a bed he never had the luxury of sleeping on in this ship. The bed was soft and so were the pillows, definitely wasn't the hammock he usually always snoozes in. When he fully opened his eyes, wiping the sleep away, he realized he was in the women's quarters specifically on Nami's bed. During the night, he's pretty sure he was holding onto something. The spot next to him was empty though, nobody there. He frowned a bit. On one of her stands was a clock which read 7:00 am. He got up from his position and sat on the bed with both legs and arms crossed. He hummed, thinking why she was up so early. While thinking, food popped up in his head and he realized he couldn't think with an empty stomach. He raced to the door and slammed it open. Not a crew mate on deck, surely because they were at the kitchen eating Sanji's food. He then sped towards the kitchen's door, ready to throw himself inside and attack the cook to let him eat already. But he couldn't do what he wanted because it wasn't Sanji cooking, it was Nami.

Her head spun around, catching her captain's eyes. He stood at the doorway, a bit taken back and then fully closed the door. The navigator eyes widen at the man in front of her. "You're not suppose to be here yet." She simply told.

He approached her, walking as his sandals hit the wooden floor. He waited behind her and then peeked to see what she was making. Luffy celebrated in his head when seeing the making of omurice. He poked Nami's cheek, his way of catching her attention, and she turned to him. She blinked, not thinking he'd get so close. Her red face made him laugh and said, "You're the best, Nami!" He merrily made his way to one of the many seats the long table had and patiently stayed put, not causing any ruckus.

_He's not rushing me or anything._ She giggled while putting the egg on the glass plate. _Completely different to how he treats Sanji._

She took the plate off the counter and placed the dish in front of him. She handed him the proper utensils. "I'm not Sanji or anything so I couldn't make you a monstrous amount of omurice." Luffy stabbed the fork into the egg and took his first bite. His bright smile told Nami she did well. She took the seat across from him and watched her captain happily eat away. That moment, she noticed he wasn't rushing to eat like with the macarons. With Sanji's cooking, he'd usually finish each dish with one gulp. Seeing him take the time to eat her food made her happy, truly. As she contently stared at the stabs her captain gave to the meal, she wondered about last night. Of course, she could've easily punched the rubber man out of there if she really didn't want him to stay. But she let him. Nami realized she's been making decisions that oppose her usual thinking. Take what Usopp asked; instead of normally punching him to avoid having that talk, she let it happen. Last night wasn't an exception either. He just walked in and slept beside her. _Again, she let it happen._ What changed? What made her change? Who knows.

"Hey, Nami?" He placed the knife and fork he received onto the plate. "When are we hitting the next island?"

She closed her eyes for a brief moment. "Before evening, most likely. The island accepts pirates so that's something to look forward to." The island was really just a plain town, living a normal life and letting pirates in whenever there was something they needed. But she's sure that the town has met rude crews before and wondered how difficult it must be to deal with them. Once again, last night's event lingered onto her mind, desiring to know what was Luffy's intentions. Asking him wouldn't hurt and technically she did ask him yesterday already, but he'll probably just give the same answer. It won't hurt to just ask. "Luffy." His gaze shifted to her. "Why'd you come yesterday?"

He left her eyes for a moment before meeting it again to plaster on a smile. "I just wanted to be with you."

The navigator sat still. That was a different response. It wasn't 'I wanted to see you' this time.

...

_Baka! What are you getting so happy for! It's practically the same thing!_

Luffy stretched his arms across the table, his fingers barely touching Nami's. She hadn't noticed that and to his dismay, she put her hands under the table to fiddle with the bracelet Nojiko had given her. The captain tapped his fingers, pretending he didn't fail to hold her hand. "Nami. We're friends, right?"

The navigator gently smiled at the rubber man. "Of course."

He averted his eyes, gazing over at the kitchen's window. "What if I told you I didn't want to be friends?" Nami couldn't react for he got up from his seat to greet the reindeer. "Ahoy Chopper! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever! Shishi!"

Robin warmly told her captain, 'good morning', and put the doctor down to play with the straw hat. "Oh. I thought breakfast was ready. Navigator-san, where's cook-san?"

But she didn't reply to the older woman's question. Her body was stiff, the intensity of the atmosphere just seconds ago still lingered around her. His serious glare, his Haki, leaving her stuck in place. How? How did he do it? Speaking with such force and then acting like a child the next. The confusion was too much for her. How is she supposed to know if he was joking or not? She deeply thought about his words. That wasn't random. That meant something. Luffy has prioritized his nakama's safety and cherishes friendships. So when hearing something like 'I don't want to be friends anymore' coming from him, it stung. Badly. Even after she stole his ship, left his crew to go back to her home in which she was deep in debt, he still insisted for her to join because he still thought of her as a friend after all that. Was it because of her attitude? Could it be because of her bossy personality that he refuses to be close with such a person? Yeah, she was bitchy but not _lately._ What did she do that made him snap? She didn't understand. She just couldn't. It was so unsettling that her captain, _Luffy_ , had a problem with her that it resulted to cutting off their friendly relationship. And the fact she didn't want to _stop_ being friends with such an amazing, caring guy hurt her more. Robin called for her once more but she ignored it. She got up, stormed out of the kitchen, kicked Zoro from sleeping any longer, and slammed the door of the women's quarters with power that Franky thought it would need some fixing. The crew, with the exception of Sanji, watched that unfold and noted to themselves to stay away from the tangerine lover and do her the favor of not pissing her off today.

Brook sipped his cup of tea slowly. "I have a feeling today's going to be a bad day."

Usopp nodded in agreement. "It's ok, though. We'll be landing on an island soon and we can escape her wrath then."

Robin, too, left the kitchen, wondering if she should follow after her. But like past cases, she knew it was best to leave her be for a short while before confronting her. Franky walked up to her with a smile. "G'morning."

She gave her arm to the cyborg and wrapped it around his own arm. "Good morning to you, too."

"That witch..." Zoro scanned the deck for a certain straw hat and when he spotted one next to Usopp and Chopper, he called for his captain. "Oi! Luffy!" He turned around with owl eyes. "What'd you do to her last night to make her this pissed off?" Usopp couldn't stop rambling last night about Luffy being in the women's quarters alone with Nami whenever the cook left the men's quarters. The long nose knew himself that Sanji knowing will give the rest of the men on the ship no sleep that night. He struggled getting up for a moment. His side hurting from the full force kick she gave. Her kicks were never too powerful if she was only trying to wake him up, but this one was. And he was sure that upset kick was to only let out her anger on him that possibly was caused by the Straw Hat.

He rubbed his chin. "Last night? She didn't seem too mad when I came in..." He clapped his hands when he remembered. "Oh! I slept with her! But...that was all." He frowned. "She was even happy in the kitchen so I don't really know what's wrong with her."

Sanji emerged from the men's quarters with his leg already on fire. "YOU WHAT?" It seemed that the cook was the last one to be awake. "How dare you do such a thing with Nami-swan?!" And with a jump, he was in the air, heading straight down to where Luffy stood to land a fiery blow on the rubber man's head. Luffy quickly took off his straw hat, making sure it wouldn't catch on fire. "Come here, you shitty captain!"

Franky gaped. "N-no way..." He looked over at Chopper and Usopp who were yelling frantically about it being the end of the world. "Don't tell me those were his true intentions..."

The tea that was about to be swallowed by the skeleton was spat out of his mouth by the truly shocking news. "Hearing that was quite eye-bulging...Though I don't have any to begin with! Yohohoho!"

And Robin, still attaching her arm around her partner's, sighed in disappointment at the men's reactions. Even Zoro stiffened. She was surprised such loud racket didn't make Nami storm out here to knock them all out to keep quiet. As Luffy was about to hide behind her, knowing Sanji would never hurt a lady, she let him do so and tripped the blonde cook with her Hana Hana powers, two hands coming out of the floor, grabbing onto his legs and forcing him to fall. This way, Luffy can clarify what he meant without being killed. "Luffy-kun. About what you said." She let go of Franky's arm and turned towards her younger captain. As suspected, Luffy didn't realize that was such a big deal based on the confusion plastered on his face. His poor choice of words got the whole crew stirred up. "You say you slept with Nami, so what did you two do exactly in bed?"

Franky, along with the other men, blushed furiously at her bold question. But also were grossed out, not wanting to hear about Luffy's tactics in bed. The captain had no idea why everyone was acting so weird today. "We talked and talked. Before we knew it, we were both fast asleep."

The archaeologist grinned, already seeing that coming. The rest of the crew didn't seem to realize that. "So in other words, you slept with her." He nodded.

All of the crew walked up to their captain, except the older woman, their eyes covered by the shade. Luffy peeked from behind her to see them all approach and decided to reveal himself. He shouldn't have for they all gave the rubber man several chops to the head for phrasing his words in a way that'll easily be misunderstanding. But Luffy tends to do that a lot. It confuses and hurts people in the end. "Ow!" He yelped, rubbing the many bumps on him.

"Well that didn't help at all. Nami's still pissed and we'll be doomed if we don't figure it out." Usopp sighed.

The rest of the crew agreed with his statement, not looking forward to the rest of the day. They were well familiarized with how Nami operates and even a small glance at her will cause a storm. They also knew the one that can really kill the navigator's temper is Robin so they all looked over to her as the solution to the problem. She shook her head with a smile. "It's best not to approach her right now even for myself." They all sighed and continued on with their day, hoping she wouldn't come out of the women's quarters and punch anyone she sees. Franky was just about to leave his partner to let her spend her morning time watering the flowers but was stopped by her calling. "Franky-san, before you go." She stared at Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper. "After what you told me yesterday, it's only right but to remind Captain-san of his actions so he understands." Her eyes looked up at her lover. "Navigator-san will end up being hurt if he keeps acting this way."

He agreed by nodding. "Usopp-bro will do a better job at yelling at him." And when she flashed a smile at him, he made his way to the three youngest crew mates who were at each others faces spatting insults at one another.

When he got closer to them, he realized Luffy and Usopp were arguing and Chopper was only yelling at them to stop their bickering. "Please stop! You're too loud! Nami might rush out here and knock us out!"

The long nose yelled out, "Good! Luffy deserves her hellish beatings!"

"No, I don't!" Luffy grabbed his same-age friend's cheek and stretched it out, causing him slight pain. "Why are you so upset?! I'm not lying!"

"You're telling the truth? Then why did you hesitate to answer when Franky and I asked you about it last night?" Usopp was now pinching his captain's arm while using his other free hand to remove the rubber man's hand off his cheek.

"Because! You...you made me confused that time! But I thought hard about it and I know she knows!" A small stutter on the meat lover's part.

Franky came into the picture, seeing the reindeer, that grew to man-size, struggle to keep the two apart. The shipwright didn't mind giving him some assistance. "How're you fighting already?! Not supa!" With his metal arms, he motioned it under Usopp's armpits to lift him off the ground, the coward's flailing arms unable to hit his captain. Chopper did the same but since Luffy ate the Gomu-Gomu fruit, he was able to stretch his right arm to hit his other crew mate's face. Usopp couldn't do anything but scowl since Franky did a great job keeping a fair distance between the fighting two.

"Seriously, calm down!" Usopp's flailing around stopped after a hard flick to the head. "What the hell were you two arguing about anyways?"

Luffy pointed an accusing finger at the sharpshooter. "He called me a liar! Isn't that funny coming from Usopp?"

The insult angered him. "Eh?! Shut up! I have the right to call you that after the obvious lie you told."

"Listen, brats." Franky went closer to Chopper and Luffy only to also flick his captain's forehead. "We won't know anything if you don't just down right say it." Chopper silently nodded.

Usopp threw a frown his captain's way and murmured a 'fine.' Seeing how he gave up attempting to get out of Franky's grip and was less angry than seconds ago, the cyborg released his crew mate and let him talk freely. Chopper thought it was fair to let Luffy go as well and the two, though clearly upset at each other, behaved better. "Remember we asked this idiot if Nami was even aware she had a romantic relationship with him?" Franky thought _oh boy_ when hearing Usopp, already knowing where this was going. The conversation between the younger ones all made sense. "And he didn't even bother to answer us? Well, I asked him again and instead of him ignoring the question, he actually had the nerve to say 'yes, she does.' So I called him a liar."

The rubber man scowled and gazed over at his shipwright. "But I'm not lying. You believe me, right Franky?" He asked the same thing to Chopper but unfortunately he hinted of being on Usopp's side.

Usopp laughed at that. "He obviously agrees with me." Instead of still being angry, he had a prideful grin on, looking as if he won the argument. "Luffy, give up and just quit the act. Why do you even want to pretend being with Nami like _that_ in the first place? Whatever the reason is, it's best to just admit the truth. Plus, think about how Nami would feel or, worse, what she'll _do_ when hearing what you're telling people-" His words came to a stop when a hand covered his mouth. He met Luffy's serious look. Again. He's been acting real serious lately, hasn't he? Luffy's eyes were then locked to the ground. "W-what?" Usopp asked, his voice a bit muffled.

The rubber man's left hand was then placed onto his crew mate's shoulder, his right hand following the same action. Both hands held it tightly but not tight enough to crush his shoulders. Luffy, first, looked at Franky before looking at Usopp. But it didn't matter because the coward purposely avoided looking at his glare. Poor Chopper watched the scene in confusion. "Usopp. Franky." Both crew mates perked up. "I am _dating_ Nami. And she does _know._ " His emphasis on those two important words weren't missed. The last thing he had to say would also be engraved onto their minds. "And I'm not always stupid, I _know_ what I'm doing." After making his words clear, he released his grip and walked away. His straw hat hanging on the back of his neck while heading up to the kitchen where Sanji was sure to be cooking breakfast. Nami's meal was amazing but all his talking made him hungry.

Chopper turned around to see Brook taking his last sip of tea while smiling ever so. Franky and Usopp awkwardly stood there, taken back once again. The musician chose to comment. "Straw Hat-kun sure has acted different these days, huh?"

The long nose weakly chuckled. "That's for sure. But uh oh, you heard all that?"

"Of course. I wasn't too far away." And indeed he wasn't. He was practically behind the reindeer. "Luffy-kun didn't seem to realize his surroundings and said that out of the blue. Even Zoro could've heard him." The swordsman was on the other side of the deck; eyes closed, hands thrown behind head, katanas at his side, sleeping soundly.

Franky didn't bother looking at the green head. "Nah. He can sleep through anything. I'm sure he wouldn't wake up to hear you two argue." Chopper's stomach then grumbled that moment. "We're all kind of hungry, huh?" He opened up his stomach to see empty cola bottles. "I don't want to face Straw Hat, to be honest." The musician, doctor, and sharpshooter sighed in agreement, unable to head to the kitchen at the moment. 

In the distance, Zoro choked on air. His crew mates were wrong to think he was sleeping through that. Luffy just calling out two names with such unnecessary force woke him up, really. And oh was their captain loud when he said that, too. He hoped Sanji and Robin, who he saw the both enter the kitchen together, didn't hear his words. So many questions swarmed his mind about his confession. His attitude towards Nami these days made sense now. "Holy shit." He whispered to himself. "Our idiotic captain likes Nami." He opened his eyes, staring up at the cloud that resembled a skull. "Holy. Shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **hi everyone! hope you like the story so far!! I don't have anything noteworthy to say but I'll let you know when I'm done transferring all chapters from wattpad onto here! have a great day! ******


	5. in ichiba island

Afternoon sun put the crew in misery as they waited for the women on the ship to come out of their quarter's. The sun, placed smacked in the middle of the sky, had no remorse radiating more heat than usual on the Straw Hat pirates. They felt as if they were being fried alive and couldn't handle any more of lying around on the ship's deck. Some were about to storm in there and pull them out of their room but knew that wasn't wise to do. After all, only six minutes had passed when they first waited patiently.

"I can't take this! Luffy, you're the captain! Tell them we hit the island already!" Usopp cried, shaking the rubber man's shoulders back and forth. Though the long-nose pirate should've known better than to ask him to do such a thing.

Luffy easily complied. "Ok!"

Zoro, Franky, and Chopper pulled their captain away from where he was heading, not allowing him to see Nami. "Nope. Not happening."

The sharpshooter nodded then bowed his head, remembering that he's most likely the person that set off Nami's vexation. "You're right, sorry. Bad idea. Definitely not Luffy."

"Then _I'll_ go see my lovely ladies!" Sanji merrily told, already racing to the women's quarters. The crew didn't stop him, thinking he's the best candidate to check on the navigator and archaeologist while being okay with receiving, what the cook calls, a 'punch of love' from Nami. As he was about to knock, the door creaked open, revealing Robin holding a few papers in hand. The curly-brow blonde put a hand out in front of him for the older woman to take. "Robin-chwan, we have been waiting for you." He politely said.

The female fruit user kindly smiled and let him place a peck on the back of her hand. Although Sanji was baffled by her permission, he didn't hesitate but lay the softest kiss on her also soft hands. "I hope you weren't waiting too long, cook-san."

"We weren't!" And it was true. It just felt like an hour.

Robin made her way to the center of the deck and the men took that as cue of her wanting to make an announcement. "I'm quite surprised all of you decided to take an afternoon nap at the same time. I almost had a hard time managing the ship. Aren't you curious as to how we're, now, on bay?"

"Now that I think about it, you're right." Usopp replied. When Nami reports of the ship almost nearing the island, she'd start throwing commands to the men to steer the Thousand Sunny straight there. But today, the men were able to rest easy. "But why didn't you just wake us up instead of doing it on your own?"

Robin smiled. "Ah. I wanted to give it a try. My Hana Hana powers were quite useful in such a situation." She lied. Robin rather prefer watching them work with the ship than for her to do so. Who wouldn't?

As he listened the older's woman delicate voice, Sanji couldn't get the thought of his lips meeting contact with his sweet Robin-chwan's hand out of his head. Such a moment was unforgettable to person like himself. And as he began to fantasize about the other things the archaeologist might also let him do in the future, he became greedier for more of that allowance and wondered if Nami-swan would let him do the same. He was ashamed he forgot about the beautiful navigator for a few minutes and didn't realize her absence on the ship. It was now his mission to get her out of the women's quarters but that only made him question why she hadn't exited with Robin earlier. "I apologize, Robin-chwan! But it doesn't feel right to not have both ladies on deck. I'll go get her!" Before he could turn around, she heard her tell him not to go.

"There's no need. She already left an hour ago." The older woman said.

Brook and Franky shared perplexed looks. The skeleton spoke. "Is that so? Nonetheless, Nami-san always gives us instructions before exploring a new island."

Robin nodded. "Her curiosity got the best of her this time and gave me the job so she can get an early start on what the island is like." She lied again. Nami wasn't so impatient to leave her crew for an island. "Let me just give instructions now so you all can go." She fished out envelopes from her bag and gave each to the paper's owner. The curly-brow blonde's covering clearly looked the most thickest and sealed tightly inside was bills upon bills stacked beside each other. The men groaned at his envelope but knew it was reasonable because that money was used to feed their mouths. "Navigator-san gave all of you the same amount of money except for cook-san and it seems she was very generous with how much she gave."

When hearing such, the crew eagerly opened their envelope, wondering what little amount of cash Nami had given them. Was it the usual $30? Or maybe $40 if she was in a good mood? But in this case, she was feeling the opposite of amazing so does that mean $15? Nami really is the devil when it comes to her treasurer role. But as they counted up their money, it wasn't $40, $30, or $15 even. In their hands was $150, which they gaped at in a starstruck manner. 

Such an amount was unbelievably huge to the Straw Hats and never has Nami given so much. Franky, being the shipwright, needed to buy tools and items for the ship and would sometimes get a little over $50. He got used to bargaining for cheaper prices with sellers. But now it wasn't needed cause he had this much to spend! And Usopp, being the one to make his own weapons, needed the right materials to build something that can more or less match his crew mate's powers, something as strong. With this money, he really can buy something powerful!

The older woman watched her nakama joyfully talk about what they'll be spending their money on. She knew that even though Nami was very greedy when it comes to cash, she'd surely smile lightly when seeing the crew's gleeful looks at her random act of kindness. Robin did originally thought the navigator was making a joke when telling her to give each crew member $150. But she had very much meant it to the archaeologist's surprise. But her hidden generosity didn't match with her upset mood in the morning, which kept the female devil-fruit user wondering why she was acting so thoughtful after being clearly angry. The thought was put aside though because she could come back to it after sending her crew mates off. "I'm glad you're all pleased. It'd be great if you all thank Nami once you see her."

"Of course!" Usopp, for a moment, forgot of the navigator's wrath.

"Before you go, navigator-san wants you to be divided into three groups. Cook-san shall be with Kenshi-san." A 'WHAT?' slipped out of Sanji's lips. "Chopper and Franky will stay with each other while captain-san stays with Usopp and Brook-san. Any questions?" She did plan on asking 'any objections?' but knew the only one who wanted to object would be the crew's rivalry duo.

Franky raised his hand and worriedly stared at his lover. "Does that mean you'll be watching the ship?" She nodded in response.

Zoro loathed the idea of spending his day beside the perverted cook and would take any chance to stay away from him. "I'd rather stay on watch."

Robin glanced at the swordsman. "Oh? Well, unfortunately, I feel the same." She beamed a smile that told him to not ask any further and he didn't dare try but sigh in loss. The papers that she held were then brought back to her attention as she softly waved them all goodbye. They all awkwardly left, finding it already weird enough to hear orders from her and not hear a single shout or yell. But, of course, Robin was not Nami and wasn't the type to raise her voice as equal as the cat burglar's.

Chopper looked back at the archaeologist, sitting on one of the beach chairs with an umbrella as her shade while reading peacefully. He frowned, not understanding why the women seemed so strange today. "Franky?" He looked up at the shipwright, who looked back down at him and asked 'yes?' "What do you think is wrong with Nami? No matter what the island is like, she never leaves without us." They both jumped down from the railing and landed on the beach.

The cyborg nodded, thinking the same. "Yup, you're right. But you know what? I have a feeling it has to do with Mugiwara."

"Ah, that could be it." The reindeer said as his hooves walked upon the island's sand, leaving his footprints trailing behind him. "I wonder how Nami will react when she realizes Luffy thinks of them that way." He blurted out. "Usopp told you about it, right?"

Franky chuckled. "Yeah, he did. And I think about that, too. I'd usually just think she'll get mad and shout at him but, now, I don't think I can make out her reaction anymore. It's complicated."

They were now off the sand and walked on the dirt road, keeping their pace. The doctor agreed. "Mhm." Before they knew it, the sand shifted to a dirt road and was suddenly filled with playing children, either throwing dirt on each other or playing with a ball. The calls of parents saying 'Stop it! Your clothes are already messy!' or 'Play after we're finished shopping' was heard behind the pirates and they had passed by to retrieve their kids and drag them further into the road. From where they now stood, a marketplace was seen selling all sorts of goods arranging from fruit to meat to toys to swords to gadgets to objects of all kinds. Although it was only vendors selling their items, the atmosphere made it seem like it was a huge celebration. And in the distance, they could see Luffy kicking a ball around with a few kids while Usopp, almost acting like the parents, pulled him away.

As they both gawked at the scenery of confetti, balloons, and sounds of loud but soothing music, Chopper couldn't help but murmur under his breath. "Well, I _know_ Nami will be really happy to hear that."

It was a bit impressive that from such a far distance, the noise reached where they were at and gave them a hard time to hear each other. Franky didn't get what his small animal friend had said. "What was that?"

Chopper dismissed his words with a giggle. "I didn't say anything, baka."

_____________________________________________________________

Nami roamed around the streets of Ichiba, the island known for its famous, large marketplace, with the goal of heading as far as away as she can from where her friends would soon be. She scanned the many booths, its items, and the island's people and everyone had been very friendly with the island also truly living up to its title. Many children had tried to silently follow her with the intent of wanting to observe the straw hat's cat burglar. It was a shock that these kids remotely knew her and it showed how much pirates did not scare them. Even their parents recognized her and hugged her with a warm welcome, not realizing the consequences of being so affectionate with a pirate. But it was convenient when strangers hug her because it was easier to pickpocket them that way. But after already knowing how kind these people were, she couldn't bring herself to steal from anyone on this island. After waving goodbye to the little ones, she laid her eyes on a bakery. A very busy one.

She turned back to glance at the street that wasn't as lively as the street that the market was located. Even if the bakery wasn't near the famous part of the island, it didn't stop their business from earning many of customers. Taking a look inside wouldn't hurt.

When entering, she was hit with the smell of strawberry danishes mixed with the melonpan's own freshness. The pastries scent excited her and Nami couldn't wait to take a look at the many options the bakery flaunted. Unfortunately, the bakery's inside display of their goods was blocked by a long line. Some people still made their way to the end of the line while knowing how lengthy it is. It seemed it was worth the wait to get the goods they want. Although her stomach grumbled when seeing a passerby exit out, eating a croissant, she couldn't stand the patience of waiting for her turn to order. She frowned disappointingly at herself but then shrugged, knowing the island had other places to eat with less of a waiting time. Her heel spun to leave the bake shop but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder that pulled her away from the door. She hoped it was one of her nakama because if it isn't, they will pay with a punch to the gut for grabbing her so aggressively. "Excuse me, sir, but what the hell-" But punching them was almost forgotten when she locked her eyes with a man who turned out to be good-looking. But even creeps could be attractive so she still kept her right hand balled into a fist. Even though ready to throw a hit, she didn't attempt it when now taking a better look at that guy. She didn't even continue what she had to say but maybe because she wanted to hear him speak for his action before saying any more.

"I-I'm sorry. I just _had_ to make sure you didn't leave." Ignoring the goofy, nervous smile he wore, his features showed he was older than Nami with the growing hair on his chin and tall physique. She didn't know how to exactly explain it but he just gave that 'older' vibe. With Robin, one would think she was just in her 20s who was just very knowledgeable but that mature personality is because she is, in fact, older than what one may think. On top of his head sat curly, short, brown hair similar to Ace's and glasses perched on his seemingly perfect nose. His voice was a bit more deeper than Zoro's and as he spoke to her, held bags of all kinds of bread. Nami might be giving him too much credit but all was true. Of course, everyone had their flaws and this bread man had his. Matching his goofy grin was his strange clothes. He wasn't the most fashionable man in town but he definitely wasn't the worst. The black sweatpants and gray shirt was normal but the _designs_ is what threw her off. What's up with a single slice of toast placed weirdly at the bottom of the shirt? And what's with the squares and faces of a bunny that ran down each pant-leg in a line? His fashion taste was peculiar. "I know pretty much every single islander on here and I know you're a visitor."

The navigator was too annoyed at how her mind told her he's too handsome to punch and forgot her manners. "So what?"

"Well I've been looking for someone to taste-test my bread lately and even better, someone who wasn't familiar with Panda's Bakery. You, a visitor, wish you can try their stuff but can't because you're unwilling to wait."

The conversation was as weird as his pants. "Yes...ugh just spit out what you want from me."

Her rudeness didn't phase him. It made him happy knowing she's hearing him. "Before that, I'm just glad you're staying at Ichiba for a while. You leave in three days, right? At least that's what your Log Pose reads." He pointed at her wrist for confirmation if he was correct and she nodded. "Then how about I make you a deal that'll benefit the both of us? You're hungry and I need a taste-tester. I feed you some of the bread I baked while you criticize it. What do you say?"

She was taken back at how he definitely had his eye on her the moment she walked in to be able to read the navigation device around her wrist. But when hearing his offer, she was a bit hesitant. Going into a stranger's house wasn't the smartest idea but she wasn't a defenseless woman and can beat this guy up if he ever touched her in that way. She was a pirate for a little longer than a year, of course she learned how to protect herself from hungry men. And even though the idea was weary to her, his bright smile drew her to accept his proposal. His beaming look made her want to say 'yes' to something maybe dangerous because it reminded her of Luffy commanding their crew to enter an island that obviously was unsafe. It always ended with the crew having no other say but to listen to their captain's order.

She hadn't realized that after a minute, she slowly nodded her head to him and was not inside of the bakery anymore but was being dragged by his muscular arm. Why she hasn't hit this man for acting so familiar with her, she didn't know. But his presence, his _arm_ was too similar to Luffy's and she wanted to keep staying like that. After all, she was still low-spirited at her captain's words to her in the morning so she didn't have the energy to yell. Can you blame the girl? The rubber man did not want their friendship anymore, at least that's what Nami thinks he's hinting when he asked, "What If I told you I don't want to be friends?" Naturally, even a girl like herself would feel extremely down when words were directed towards her.

"News spreads around quick and I heard the Straw Hat pirates have landed on shore. You must be Nami, right? The navigator clearly, seeing how you're wearing a Log Pose."

Hearing this bread maniac actually know who she is made her nervous and she took her wrist away from, forcing his grip on her to loosen. The possibilities of him wanting to catch her for her bounty isn't impossible. Plus, the major friendliness towards pirates did seem strange. Her legs decided on whether to run or stay still. It decided on the latter. "I know this island is friendly with pirates but...you're not going to do something to me, are you? Cause if you are, I suggest you don't try because I will-"

"Thunderbolt me? Ah yes, that staff of yours is impressive."

Nami frowned at his knowledge on her but then smiled when he mentioned of her weapon. She couldn't help but brag. "It is! One of my crew mates built it for me; he's really the greatest."

"I'm sure he is." The bread guy chuckled then gave her his hand so that he can continue dragging her. "I know I don't seem like very much of a trustworthy guy but I have no interest in doing that sort of thing with you." Nami's eyes grew deadly at the insult. "N-n-not that I think you're not pretty! I just know that's wrong to do..." At that point, Nami was okay with letting this guy pull her away. Usually, her instincts always knew whether one is lying or not and this man, fortunately, wasn't. "I know I said I need good judgment from you but I also desperately want you to come over for another reason."

The tangerine lover didn't worry anymore. "What's the other reason?

"My nephew adores you."

__________________________________________________

Brook watched from behind to observe the same scene of Luffy spending his money on every food vendor he sees. Though he didn't mind much since it was the captain's choice on what to spend his allowance on. Investing money on food isn't a bad thing at all so he didn't try stopping the rubber man from ordering the entire menu.

Usopp, on the other hand, thought the opposite and knew it was the last straw when Luffy told a worker to serve another set of their whole menu. He left the musician's side to tell the cook to forget his words and grabbed Luffy's vest to lug him back on the dirt road. He frowned at his goofy captain. "Geez Luffy, what's the limit to how much you can eat?"

Mugiwara frowned back. "Usopppp, I still have so much money left!"

"Nu-uh." He wagged his finger and continued their walk straight ahead. "Seriously, is there anything else you think about other than food?"

As Luffy and Brook returned to their crew member's side, the captain stayed silent for a good few seconds before picking his nose, and creating a humming noise to show he was thinking. His two crew mates had their eyes set on him as he thought hard. But it didn't take so long to reply to his friend's question because after he finished his glaring contest with the ground, he looked up at them with his signature smile. His mouth opened to say what else he thought about but Usopp changed his mind and didn't want to hear his answer.

The long-nose pirate covered his mouth with his left hand and sighed with faint, pink cheeks. "No, no, never mind." He used the same hand to push his captain away. "It's fine, don't answer that."

The skeleton stared at the younger pirate with puzzlement. "What's wrong, Usopp-kun? I'd really like to know what's also on his mind all the time, don't you?"

"Brook, no...ugh he's just going to reply by saying-"

"Nami!" Luffy finished Usopp's sentence for him. Hearing such made Brook chuckle and Usopp groan. "Shishi!"

Brook whispered a 'young love' and the sharpshooter replied with 'maybe', still not understanding his captain's feelings that well. "Yeah, right." Usopp said sarcastically. "There's no way food is equally as important as Nami when it comes to your thinking. You _love_ food!" And as soon as Usopp spoke his last sentence, he immediately regret it.

"Oh yeah?" Luffy never stopped grinning. "Well I also love Na-MMMPH." Unfortunately, the rubber man wasn't able to fully say his navigator's name due to the hand that returned back to cover his mouth.

Usopp slapped his hand back to his captain's mouth before he completed that sentence. "Ughhhhhhh. Shut up, Luffy...." Same with Luffy's grinning, his groaning also didn't stop. "Your words are so predictable, it's cheesy." Usopp's cheeks stayed pink. "You're making me embarrassed just hearing you!"

The musician smiled and pulled Usopp's cheeks. "Oh Usopp-kun, leave him alone. Let the man be in love!"

Luffy laughed and patted his slouching back while agreeing with the 9th member of the Straw Hat crew. "Yeah!" With the conversation about Nami being brought up, it reminded him of the small box deep in the pocket of his shorts. As he slung his arm around his friend of the same age, his other arm searched for the box under several stored food. When feeling something bulky, he knew he found it. He pulled it out of his pocket and opened the egg-colored box to show off to his two crew mates. "Just take a look at this and that'll show you, shishi!" Inside of it was a silver-chained bracelet with charms kept around it. A cloud, an orange, and a pinwheel were the three charms that repeated in a pattern. Such charms to be made asked by the captain himself. His face sparkled with joy at the item he bought. "Haha, isn't it super shiny?"

Usopp stared owl-eyed at the jewelry before him, trying to remember when the hell Luffy even had the opportunity to buy that without Brook and him being there. As far as he knows, they never took their eyes off of him. His captain is full of mysteries sometimes. "Baka!" The sharpshooter punched the top of the rubber man's head. "Who cares if it's shiny?! What's more amazing is the fact you actually _did_ think about her!" His mouth gaped at the gorgeous bracelet his captain picked out. "Are you even Luffy?"

Brook reached his hand out to feel it. "Luffy-kun, this is really incredible."

His friends' surprised reactions kept his laughter going. But when seeing his musician almost lay a finger on it, he instantly closed the box. "Haha, you can't touch it!" He said in a childish way while shoving it in the pocket with no food to not let it get anymore dirty. "You think she'll like it?"

Usopp chuckled, seeing how exhilarated his best friend was. The cheesiness earlier was too much but, now, his attitude was just sweet. "Well if it was super duper expensive, then she'll love it."

Luffy frowned. "Eh? But it wasn't that expensive..." And his eagerness in giving it to his navigator died down to disappointment.

Usopp nervously sweat and Brook patted the long-nose pirate's shoulder to reassure he'd fix his mistake. "No, no. If it comes from you, Nami-san will be delighted."

Since the box was now put away, all three of them returned to walking again. Luffy smiled at the skeleton and threw his arms behind his head. "Good!" And the rubber man began to run when spotting several children playing with a jump rope.

Usopp used that chance to talk about Luffy with the dead but alive man. "Phew, I'm really glad Luffy is being Luffy again. Seeing him so serious and upset lately is scary, y'know?" But that description couldn't match with the Mugiwara in front of them, whose stretched out arm was being used as a jump rope. All the kids jumped and jumped over the rubber arm and a little girl stood on the other side to hold his hand (the other end of the 'rope'). Instead of looking severe or mad, he was an approachable, silly guy.

"I agree. But he only acts like that because of you and Franky not believing his feelings are genuine." Brook pointed out in which Usopp nodded his head to the truth.

"Ok, maybe I do think he likes Nami now. But Nami's into Zoro so there's no point."

Brook let out a sigh and motioned them to sit on some seats outside a ramen shop. As soon as their bottoms met the chairs, the skeleton spoke. "I really thought Usopp-kun wouldn't be dense about these things. What makes you think she likes Zoro?"

The coward's eyebrows furrowed. He knows she does because he saw the proof in front of his very own eyes. "Yesterday, during dinner, she got all red when facing Zoro. What other reason would she get all doki doki for if she didn't have some feelings for him?"

"See, that's where I prove you wrong." Brook told but didn't explain just yet when the shop owner came outside asking for their order. Usopp shook his head, saying they just wanted to borrow their seats and, luckily, the owner was kind and let them do so. "I thought it was obvious that she only did that to misdirect her feelings."

"Misdirect..." Usopp thought about that word, defining what that meant in his head and when he finally understood what that violinist was saying, he began screaming 'oh! oh!' "Oh my god, so she knew that if I did catch a glimpse of her looking at someone while she kept denying, I'd know it'd be him she likes! Dammit! And she purposely glanced at the wrong person? Wow, Nami got me there!"

Brook listened to his realization while making sure Luffy didn't go anywhere else and get lost. Him and Usopp were his babysitters for today. "Yes. That's exactly it."

"But still...it doesn't exactly prove it's Luffy she likes."

It wasn't jump roping their captain and the kids were doing now, one of the children's mother came out with snacks and Luffy was able to eat with them. But his stomach was like a pit and ate everything before the little ones could get what they wanted. Some got angry while some were fascinated. The mother was okay with putting up a challenge and hurried in her home to gather or make more food. She reminded Brook of Sanji. He returned his attention back at his friend. "That's what Robin-san and I are trying to do; make Nami-san admit she likes Luffy-san. Robin-san insists she does have feelings for our captain and she's usually never wrong so I decided to help as well."

"Geez I feel like an idiot. I gotta tell all that to Franky, we were both wrong-"

"GUYS!!!!!" Luffy sped to their table and pointed at the large store farther to the other side. "This nice lady gave me this yakisoba pan and it was soooooo good. She told me it was from that bakery. C'mon, c'mon! We have to go over there!"

Brook and Usopp laughed at his enthusiasm, got up from their seats while following their captain's command by replying, "Hai!"

_______________________________________________

"YOU MUSCLE HEAD, WHERE THE HELL DID YOUR DUMBASS GO?!!!" Luffy really wasn't hard to deal with. The real challenge was putting up with a directionless swordsman who, once again, got lost. Sanji was absolutely fed up. Either the idiot was trying to get away from him or actually got lost. "EVEN LUFFY IS BETTER TO BE WITH THAN YOU!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xoxo - ninemangoes


	6. an uneventful evening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **(◕‿◕✿) I love kaomojis so much hehe (灬♥ω♥灬)**

Watching the ship wasn't as boring as Nico Robin thought it'd be. Her afternoon was spent immersing herself in a thick novel about fishmen's history and she quite enjoyed it, seeing how she finished the entirety of the first book without putting it down. She owned the whole set of its past and the thought of reading the second one thrilled her. But the archaeologist found it better to take a break on reading to enjoy the art above her.

The sky was no longer its usual light-blue whenever its day but a prettier shade of orange and pink. The sunset's hue and its own setting on the horizon was gorgeous as well. It left the ocean to glisten beautifully.

And as she smiled at the scenery, a figure climbed up the ship's plank and Robin assumed it was Nami. The older woman had been informed of the tangerine lover's precedency but, instead, of a woman it was a man. A man who was not part of the Straw Hats and, indeed, a stranger. He did look odd, too. On top of his unusual outfit, he carried a great amount of bags that reminded her of the swordsman holding tons of shopping bags for the navigator. But it wasn't bags from fashionable brands, it was bags filled with bread and fruit. He looked innocent enough but she couldn't let him set foot on the Thousand Sunny so comfortably. She moved her arms across her chest to make an 'X' and let two arms grow behind his back. 'Clutch' was just about to be used on the man but hearing the navigator's voice stopped her.

"Robin, it's ok! He's with me!" Emerging from the ship was the crew's thief with a worried glance for the male brunette. "I met him at a bakery." She explained.

Before bowing at the older woman, he put down all the bags he, somehow, was able to carry all at once. "I'm sorry for the intrusion. I only came to drop off Nami's things and collect some tangerines."

Robin formed a grin when getting a closer look at his bizarre fashion choice but was also quite surprised at the last words he spoke. Tangerines? Nami is extremely strict when it comes to someone even going remotely near her bushes and she never allows for the sweet fruits to be touched. The mikans being picked was no exception either and anyone who dares to carelessly rip the fruit off the branch will be paid with stomping feet at the stomach and an enormous debt. What's so different about this stranger that he is able to get some of her oranges? The navigator might let her crew mates have a slice of the fruit but never a basket-worth of them.

As the male brunette headed to her grove, Nami stopped him and set some rules. Robin stared away as the man watched the tangerine lover pick away at the mikans that were ripe. Robin smiled at the constant asking of 'Let me pick one, at least' and she responding with an angry 'no!' to get her point across. The older woman should've known that, of course, he would never be allowed to touch the fruit until it was picked by her. The basket that Nami, carefully, placed the mikans inside wasn't so big but small. Only five were able to fit. Even though it was such a small amount, the man appreciated being given her grown fruit.

Nami picked up the basket and gave it to him. "Here you go. You should've known I wouldn't give you so many. Ah and no take-backs. I'm keeping all of your fruit."

Robin eyed the pile of watermelons, strawberries, apples, and peaches. The quantity of each had a high amount.

"No worries. Being able to try _your_ famous tangerines is an honor. I'll say it in advance that my nephew says 'thank you.'" The brunette waved goodbye at the archaeologist, passed by the pile of bags, and left the ship with a jump on the sand. He sure looked like he was in a hurry to leave.

The whole encounter was a blur and she really was curious as to what kind of person he is. She wished he stayed longer. "What a shame. I'd really wanted to know more about him. It's very unlikely of you to bring a stranger on board." Nami nodded at her statement. "But it must be because he fairly resembles Luffy that you trust him so much."

Her last sentence made the navigator flinch. "No way! They're nowhere near alike!"

Robin chuckled. "Maybe not, but his face is slightly similar in a way. You can't deny that."

Nami crossed her arms and refused to agree, murmuring her denial. But the two women stopped their talk when hearing the shipwright's voice.

"Ow! There's our navigator!" Minutes after the bread lover's departure, Franky and Chopper arrived shortly after. Each carrying supplies of their own, such as cola and metal plus herbs and bandages.

The reindeer ran to the tangerine lover and hugged her legs tightly. Nami looked down with confusion. "Thank you, Nami!" She registered his words in her head, figuring out what she was being thanked for. It wasn't until the two showed her an envelope of their names written that she knew what he was talking about. Chopper took Franky's envelope to retrieve the leftover money and did the same with his to hand it to the treasurer. "Here you go!" In his left hand was the shipwright's unused $50 and in the right was Chopper's $65.

The navigator stared at the money with a raised brow and looked back at Robin, seeing if she knew why they were giving money back. The other two crew mates were then confused at Nami's confusion and also looked back at the archaeologist for an answer.

And an answer they will get. "Nami-san, they were in disbelief when receiving so much money from you and thought if they spent it all and didn't give you back more than $50, they'll be punished." Their nods proved her correct. "As for Chopper and Franky, Nami did not expect for you to give her back money but allowed for you to spend it to your heart's desire." An 'ohhhhh' came out of the three's mouths and laughed when understanding what the other thought.

"Bakas! I don't want it back! Keep it!" She said through an amused smile. "You better keep that unused money out of my sight or I might change my mind!" With that being said, the doctor stuffed his bills in his backpack while the shipwright returned the money back to the envelope and hid it behind his enormous, metal body.

"But Nami," the ship's pet said. "Why? You never ever give us so much! You looked kinda mad in the morning so we all thought the most we'd get is $15."

_Oh yeah._ Truth is, the moment Nami stepped into the bread maniac's home, her lingering anger from this morning was forgotten. She hadn't thought about it once as she ate pastries and played with his nephew. Really, she did not have an exact reason as to why she was generous with the distribution of money today when she wasn't in a great mood to begin with. No, of course she had a reason. After storming out of the kitchen, she laid in bed replaying scenes where she's acted like an annoying bitch and she can recall plenty of times. She wondered what she can do to reduce her usual selfishness and for starters, the first thing would be money. As much as she wished she didn't have to share treasure or cash, it had to be done and when she did share it'd be an evil, small amount. She felt pathetic having to change a known part of herself but it was for the sake of gaining the title of 'friends' with her captain again. Thus, leading to giving away $150 to each member. Robin refused an envelope and Nami was sure it was because the older woman saw the clear pain in the navigator's expression when handing out more than $100 so easily. At least Nami saved $150.

Of course, she'd never explain the actual reason to her two crew mates. "Eh? Does it really matter anymore? Don't question and just remember this day well!" Franky and Chopper exchanged glances knowing something was wrong. Although Franky wanted to ask her another question, he couldn't when hearing the bickering of a swordsman and cook.

"I don't give a damn that the island is big! That has nothing to do with the fact that I told you we're going to keep walking straight ahead and then you make a sudden left turn! A left turn? Here I thought you don't know the difference between left and right but you don't even know what _straight ahead_ means?! You're such a dumbass!" First to appear on deck was Sanji who had his head turned back to continue yelling at Zoro.

"Oi. Why are you even so mad, shitty cook? Isn't that a good thing? We didn't have to be near each other at all today." Next was the marimo who was too busy rolling his eyes to look at the curly-brow blonde.

This time, Sanji's back didn't face Zoro anymore. The cook did a 180 and sneered at his rival. "I couldn't successfully carry Robin's deed because of you, that's why." He spun back around, heading to the kitchen with hands full of groceries. As he did so,he passed by a pile of fruits and put down his bought groceries to examine them. Something about these fruits were unlike any other and on top of that, it was perfectly ripe. He noted to cut up some watermelons and strawberries as dessert tonight.

"Sanji-kun!" Nami caught his attention with the call of his name in which Sanji swiftly turned his head to with eyes resembling hearts. "Do you mind putting those away for me?"

Any favor asked by a sexy, beautiful female would always be done; that is Sanji Vinsmoke's logic. In each hand, he held several bags holding peaches and strawberries while the other held bags full of watermelon and apples. He walked over to the kitchen with a giddy smile for he wasn't able to lay his eyes upon her or hear her lovely voice at all today. Before the cook could enter the kitchen's door, Zoro murmured, "She has you on a leash, ero-cook." He would've landed at least one kick to the swordsman's stomach but thought of something that didn't resort to violence; throw an insult that'll definitely shut him up.

"Of course she does. I love Nami-swan so much that I even bought plenty of sake just for her to enjoy." And Zoro screamed a 'WHAT?' after realizing what that curly-brow blonde was trying to say.

Zoro stole a glance at Nami who shot an evil grin at him. "You better share that liquor, woman."

She put a hand out, still holding her grin. "With a price, of course."

He squinted at her to then click his tongue. "Tch. And I thought you were acting nice for once."

"My kind card expires after a nice act every 100 years." As she said that, she forgot she was suppose to act nice now but wasn't about to stumble her words in front of this man.

During Nami and Zoro's small talk, Chopper sat in front of the plank, waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive. Robin and Franky stood next to the reindeer, while the cyborg chatted about his day with the older woman smiling at his story. The sun, at that point, was close to setting completely, ready to reveal the starry sky and its crescent moon. The doctor, noticing the shift in light, became worried since Usopp, Brook, and Luffy were still not here as day was about to change to night. But his worries were gone when seeing a long-nosed pirate and skeleton flying across the sky, straight onto the ship, specifically straight on the spot Chopper was sitting at. Franky scooped up the doctor and Robin used her Hana Hana powers to create a hand with her duplicate limbs so the two crew mates would land safely.

As her net-like creation was complete, Usopp and Brook flew into her connected arms resembling a hand, making them feel no harsh impact. As Franky and Robin were distracted with the sharpshooter and musician, another person flew in the sky due to 'sling-shotting' himself with his Gomu Gomu powers. It did not end well for Luffy's body slammed onto Nami's, forcing her head to hit hard onto the deck. Zoro, who was right next to the tangerine lover, backed away slowly, knowing well enough what would come next. But he did not take notice of the five second stare they shared with each other before Nami pushed him off of him.

Her first instinct would've been to shove her captain by punching his cheek but when her left hand tried pushing Luffy's body away from hers, his right hand gripped onto her left arm, stopping her action to just stare at her. But Nami saw it as observing instead of simply staring. It was like his eyes dived deep within her own eyes to figure her out, figure out what she's feeling. She knew Luffy was capable to read through her if he tried, so she inverted her eyes away from his and successfully got him off of her. Her soft expression could easily be read but not when she's upset. "Argh! Seriously, Luffy?! If you're going to slingshot yourself to the Sunny, make sure you don't land on anyone, _me_ specifically!" She rubbed the back of her head that slightly ached. "Geez! You're so careless!"

The crew silently chuckled at the scene before them, glad to see Nami act like her usual self. Even though being shouted out was never a pleasant feeling, Luffy still smiled. He took his hat off his head to place it onto Nami's orange hair. "The island was so much fun, Nami! The food was just as good as Sanji's!" He ignored the fact he was being yelled at and acted as if he was having a casual conversation with his navigator.

"Hmph!" His radiant smile and wide, happy eyes did no affect in turning her frown upside down. Moreover, his friendliness pissed her off. Does he want to remain friends with her or not? The whole point in her acting kind is to win back their previous relationship. Does she have to try anymore? Then a thought struck her. _Don't tell me he didn't mean he didn't want to be friends..._

_"What if I said I didn't want to be friends?"_

_Unless he meant something more..._

"Namiiii! C'mon, don't ignore me!" His cheeks contorted to a pout. "Is it because you're mad at me? Cause if it is, I'm really sorry!"

She let out the lightest of chuckles. "Luffy, do you even know what you're apologizing for?" Of course, she was given a shake of his head and sighed. Her hand reached for his left cheek and stretched it as much as she could when walking a fair distance away from him only to let it go which snapped back harshly back to his face.

"Owww!" He rubbed his cheek while watching her walk away from him, entering the aquarium. His head spun to his crew mates. "I thought everything would be fine if I said 'sorry!'"   
_______________________________

Once again, dinner was as rowdy as ever. The loudness of talk among the crew did not get any quieter, bits of food flew from mouths, small fights of shoving a rubber man away erupted, and Sanji yelled at the men to have some manners.

Tonight's seating arrangement was of Franky and Chopper on both ends of the dining table. Zoro and Robin sat next to each other while across from them was Luffy and Nami. Next to Zoro and Luffy was Brook and Usopp.

As soon as Zoro was unable to properly protect his food, Nami's mood quickly changed when knowing the great amount of booze the cook had bought and so challenged her friend to a drinking contest. He never refused any of her requests because one, free booze and two, free booze.

As soon as Sanji placed eight bottles each to the swordsman and navigator, the two exchanged knowing smirks as they hurriedly reached for a bottle to down as fast as they could. After three bottles, Zoro couldn't help but point out Nami's unfinished plate. "Oi, Luffy. I see you staring at that witch's plate."

Nami put down her half finished fourth bottle to offer her food to her captain. "You can have it, Luffy." Her eyes shifting from her sake to his concentrated eyes on her food.

He slowly looked up from the barely-eaten plate to only stare at Sanji's back, who was engrossed in perfectly slicing the gifted watermelon. His eyes then wandered back to the dining table and met her eyes for only a split second, before watching his first mate chug his third bottle. "Shishi, I don't want it!"

Nami was just about to reply to him but Zoro stealing her fourth bottle stopped her from doing so.

Originally, Robin had expected for the other half side of the table to be far more entertaining. Franky thought so, too which explains why he left his initial seat to hang out with the three after finishing his share of dinner. Although, she planned on pointing out all flaws to Usopp's 'perfectly, crafted plan' to tease the younger one, Luffy's stiffness grabbed her attention away from the long-nose pirate. His quietness was not ordinary and his fixated gaze on, specifically, Nami's plate was odd. The captain's plate was left untouched so there should be no reason for him to want hers after not eating his very own plate.

After slouching on his seat, constantly looking back at Nami and then the plate, and throwing frowns around every now and then, his hand reached out to touch Nami's plate. But it wasn't the food he touched, it was the bottom of the plate itself. Peeking underneath the glass dish was a folded piece of paper, most definitely a note. This time instead of shifting his gaze to the tangerine lover then back at the plate, he stared stiffly at the note. It was almost as if he knew that his behavior wasn't the usual and that someone will bound to notice if he stayed acting weird long enough.

Robin was sure he hoped it'd be Nami to notice his silence, though technically Robin noticed far too early, it was Zoro that spoke about it first.

She studied him for no longer than 15 minutes and knew, after Nami's attention was stripped away from him, he grew impatient. He even decided to cross his arms, looking as if Sanji refused to give him any sort of meat that day. The older woman glanced at the navigator who, too, was glancing towards Luffy's direction while swinging back her head to chug the sake faster than the swordsman. The archaeologist knew Nami would talk to him that very moment but also knew Luffy would give up waiting that very moment as well. And of course, her captain's name didn't roll off her tongue when watching him walk away with an irritated expression on. "Oh my." She whispered to herself. "So very close."

________________________________________

The massive amount of watermelon that was given to the Straw Hats had been devoured in not even over 8 minutes. During that short time, Franky asked Luffy to hold a bowl from the farthest corner and hurriedly ate a large slice in 3 seconds. He stood up on one of the chairs and spit out the seeds in a rainbow curve to then land into the bowl. Idiots impress idiots so Franky pretty much impressed all the men on board.

Robin watched Luffy distractingly throw glances back at his plate, wanting to take back the note that instant. But the female devil fruit user wouldn't allow for that to happen. Why not help him fulfill what he originally wanted to do? She decided to guide Nami in realizing she was given a note indirectly by her captain.

After Sanji's fit of laughter at Franky's act, he began to go around the table to collect the finished plates. Robin knew this was a perfect time to show the navigator what she missed earlier. "Cook-san, do you mind if I help you with the dishes?"

Her smile sent flutters to the blonde's heart. "E-eh?! Of course, Robin-chwan!"

She stood up from her seat, picking up her plate and aiming to pick up Nami's. She took note of the tangerine lover staring into space at her captain's direction. A tap to the shoulder snapped Nami from her thoughts. "Nami? May I take your plate?"

"Hm? Oh. Yes, yes! Go ahead, Robin." Nami took her plate off the table and handed it to the older woman. With no plate hiding the note underneath, the folded paper was right in front of her eyes now.

Robin grinned and turned her head to her captain who stared with widen eyes at his archaeologist, knowing she had just helped him out. His eyes soften and threw a wide smile at her direction, returning back to the rest of the crew without feeling anxious. The older woman shifted her gaze to the navigator who stared questioningly at the note.

"What the..." Her hands picked up the note and unfolded it, her eyes following the messy handwriting all the way to the end that finished with a bad drawing of the Straw Hat's Jolly Roger. But she found it cute. She folded it back to when it was in its original state and stuffed in her back pocket. Her body forced her out of her seat as Nami stared intently at her captain grinning away at another lie Usopp was spouting. She then stared at Robin. "I don't think I'll be going to the aquarium tonight. Gomen."

Robin smiled as her reply and watched the navigator tell the swordsman his debt has just increased before exiting the kitchen. But her head turned to throw a glance at her captain who was already looking her way. Nami flashed him a happy grin before closing the door shut. Luffy, too, smiled but instead of staying put in his seat. He shot up, standing tall with a giddy grin as he threw a thumbs up at Brook and Usopp. The two knew the message and threw a thumbs up back.

And just like that Luffy followed Nami out, not aware of his faint pink cheeks, him humming a tune, too-happy smile, and the small box he remained hidden that night being thrown up as he constantly caught it. With those observations in light, it wouldn't take long to read the situation and Sanji figured it out much too quick. "WAIT A DAMN MINUTE, LUFFY! JUST WHO IS THAT BOX FOR?"

Mugiwara did not turn his head to look at him but hurried out, knowing he'd be stopped immediately if not out of the kitchen. But on the way, he did throw out a response that only irritated the cook. "For Nami, duh!"


	7. an eventful day

As the second day of staying at the Ichiba Island came into light, Nami shined just as bright while she greeted her fellow crew mates. Behind the joyous navigator was the biggest star in the world shining its morning light. "Ohayou, minna!" While it was only 9:23 am, she had so much energy within her, she couldn't help but use it. Nami walked over to the reindeer to grab his body and throw him up in the air with a giddy grin. She even gave him a tight hug and the crew watched the scene with confusion.

Chopper didn't understand her morning attitude but he wasn't going to complain at her sweet gestures. He only laughed away with her and greeted back, "Ohayou, Nami!"

Due to a long night of story-telling from the archaeologist, Brook still wasn't entirely awake. Like the rest of the crew, he also found Nami's morning attitude strange. "Ah. Luffy-san must've given her the bracelet last night; maybe that's why she's so happy," Brook blurted to himself.

The rest of the Straw Hat pirates except for Nami, Luffy, and Chopper heard and spun their heads to the skeleton's direction and gaped. Usopp rushed to the musician's side and pulled his collar back and forth, shaking him. "Oh c'mon Brook! You couldn't have said that in your head?"

Brook grew dizzy and only mustered a "Gomennasai..."

Robin snickered at her crew member's behavior as she glanced over at the cat burglar. She recalled assisting in leading Nami's attention to the note underneath her plate so Luffy may talk to her. However, that was a strange way of the captain asking for a conversation. Normally, he would have yelled out her name and ask her to step outside. Instead he went through the trouble of writing a note to tell her. It was particularly weird. She's sure Brook's words held truth in it. Another snicker escaped her lips. Assuming Brook and Usopp knew beforehand he would give the bracelet to Nami, Luffy's usual action would be embarrassing since those two already know what will be talked about. Maybe that was the reason behind it.

Striding Robin's way was Nami carrying Chopper with one hand and the other waving to her. Robin gave her a smile. "Good morning, Navigator-san. What has you in such a good mood?"

Nami smiled back while handing the reindeer to the archaeologist. "Oh nothing special. Just thought I'd start the day with a positive attitude." She shifted her stance to stare at Zoro who stared back with wide eyes. She tsked. "Eh??? You're awake already? Hmph, I was hoping I'd kick the sleep out of you."

The swordsman couldn't help but feel appalled to see Nami so happy at a bracelet not even made of diamonds. He assumed the bracelet Luffy got for her was cheap since he had no way of affording such an expensive gem. Her good morning freaked him out and he thought she'd also direct that merry grin onto him. Thank Kami he was being treated the same. "Shut up, witch. Your greeting was just loud as hell."

The tangerine lover rolled her eyes. "Funny how that woke you up but not the times when I'm yelling right to your face." Her attention was then directed to Sanji's figure crying on the floor at the news he heard from Brook. Though, she had no idea about that. "Ah, Sanji-kun! No need to make breakfast for me! I'm going to eat on the island for today! Gomen!" With that said, she waved bye to the older woman before heading towards her grove.

Usopp had already let go of Brook and when Robin decided to join them he whispered, "I wonder what she was doing yesterday."

Robin chuckled lightly. "I believe she spent her day with a man. He was weird, I have to admit."

Usopp's cheeks exploded. "W-w-w-w-w-what??!??!!?"

Brook, too, had the same reaction. "Poor Luffy-kun...Gave her a bracelet only to not know she has met a man and is no longer interested in our captain."

"Oh please. Why do men immediately think to something romantic? They're just acquaintances, nothing more." Robin replied.

Nami carried a small basket with several tangerines and made her way towards the board that led down to the island's sand. "Robin-san, I'm leaving early! I leave the rest to you!" After seeing Robin's nod, she didn't even use the board to get down, she jumped instead. As soon as her feet met the sand, she sped to the distant booths and celebration happening in the middle of the island. It left Robin, Chopper, Usopp, and Brook confused on why she ran so fast. But something else confused them more.

In the men's quarter's direction was the loud slam of its door opening following incoherent shouting. All men were on deck except for one, their very own captain. Running to the ship's deck was Luffy with a worried expression. He crashed into Usopp and grabbed his shoulder and shook him for an answer. "Where's Nami?!"

The sharpshooter pushed him off before replying. "You just missed her, she already left."

That seemed to calm Luffy down as he let out a sigh of relief and laid himself down the deck's grass. Brook asked why he looked so troubled and responded, "I had a dream Nami disappeared." The skeleton asked if the location was at Ichiba island and the straw hat nodded.

Brook laughed. "No worries, Luffy-kun. Nami has company today."

Luffy slowly got up from his position and tilted his head slightly. "Sanji?"

The musician shook his head. "No. Robin informed us she met a man yesterday. I'm sure Nami will be in safe hands. So no need to worry!"

Luffy still didn't understand. "Who?"

Robin cut in for the skeleton. "Last night, Nami arrived to the ship with a man who gifted us with delicious fruits. I'm guessing he's now a friend of Nami's and she might be spending her day again with him."

"No."

Robin became perplexed at the semi-harsh tone. "Pardon?"

Luffy pouted. "Captain's order: she has to spend the day with us."

Chopper joined in the conversation. "Eh?? But we shouldn't force Nami to hang out with us..."

Luffy mentally frowned at Chopper's response, wishing he took his side. "Oh cmon!" His attention went to Robin and Usopp. "What do you guys think?"

Usopp stayed silent, slightly fearing that his say would irritate his captain. Thankfully, Robin and him shared the same opinion on the matter. He watched the archaeologist's mouth form into a grin. "We also agree with Chopper, captain-san."

Straw Hat had to visibly frown at 3 of his members being against him. His body spun a 180 to face Brook several feet away. Brook already had a response similar to Chopper's in which made Luffy's brows furrow. His eyes scanned the Thousand Sunny to try and spot a tall, large cyborg. But when seeing the shipwright converse with Zoro while Sanji was down on the floor lying on a puddle of tears, he realized all three men would just give the same response like Chopper's. Sanji would give an opposite response, of course. Truthfully speaking, Luffy didn't really want to look for Nami with Sanji constantly praising or complimenting her body every minute.

So he let out a big sigh and positioned his straw hat better on top of his head and decided to find her himself. A palm tree caught his eye and before he knew it, his arms were already stretched out a long distance behind him. He let his arms then tug forward to fly to the direction of the tree with the most coconuts. Before flying, he could hear Usopp yell, "Luffy! You're going to miss the announcements!" When hugging the base of the tree, reaching to pick three coconuts, he couldn't help but laugh. Such useless words Usopp spoke. As if instructions will hold him back from finding his navigator. As he cracked open one of the coconuts and sipped its water, his mind was filled with the idea of pulling Nami away from whatever stranger caught her attention yesterday.

____________________________________________

"No way! Ohayou, Nami!" Upon her arrival to Kiyoshi's front porch, she was met with the door opening slightly to see the peeking eyes of his nephew, Mako. Yesterday's afternoon which was spent tasting bread and watching a 5 year old dance, she was able to learn the name of the man with such weird fashion. Plus, she got a whole summary of his life til now. Sato Kiyoshi, a 27 year old, with no wife or past lover. Just a man with no interest in loving a woman. Loving his nephew and taking care of him after his mother and father's accident at sea is enough for him. His interests vary in baking, gardening, reading, and horribly designed shirts and jeans. Nami thought he was like an old lady and didn't hesitate to say it out loud. He only gave her a stank eye in response.

The navigator really didn't like kids. They were annoying brats who were always filled with energy and only stopped when tired. Kami knows when they're tired. It could be from 7 pm or worse 3 am. This little boy in front of her was no exception. The moment she stepped into the house yesterday, he bombarded her with endless questions about adventures on sea and what the Straw Hat Pirates are like when not fighting. He even begged her to invite him on board which reached the peak of Nami's annoyance and with the same loud tone she used on her crew, she used it on the little boy. Of course he cried and his uncle tried comforting him.

The little devil even gave her a scowl and said she owed him tangerines. Kiyoshi knew how precious tangerines were to the cat burglar so he worriedly tried to shut up his nephew. But she ended up making a deal with the brat saying she'll give him tangerines if he stopped bothering her. And so here she was. Displaying the fakest of smiles to Mako while showing him the basket. He eagerly took it from her grasp and dashed into the house. She caught the sight of Kiyoshi just coming down the stairs. "Mako! Don't open the door so easily!" He scolded.

Although it was faint, she swore she heard the brat say, "It's ok, uncle! I heard her heels from a mile away! I just knew it was her!"

Kiyoshi snickered while seeing the navigator roll her eyes and plop herself on his couch. "Mako isn't wrong though." He took note of her soft expression that differed greatly to her face from yesterday. Whenever Mako was outside playing with friends and Kiyoshi was cleaning the kitchen, he couldn't help but glance at the girl's direction and watch the way she held a displeased and pained look. Now, she was smiling to herself. He sat on the couch across from hers and stared at her, holding his grin. "You? Smiling? That's weird." He expected her to stare blankly at him but she just smiled more. That gave him a clear hint on what caused her giddiness. "I see. Did you patch things up with your captain?"

When ranting about issues, that was only ever directed towards Robin. She'd never spill her business to a complete stranger. But Kiyoshi's carefree attitude settled her and she felt like he was an old friend from years and years ago. Though she was planning on letting Robin know when she went back on ship yesterday why she was so up tight, she couldn't wait any longer and decided to say it all to this weird man. In other words, he knew what was going on in her head.

Nami tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "...maybe? Pfft, I don't know..." That followed with small bursts of chuckles. "Well I mean," she lifted her arm to reveal the shiny bracelet with charms that truly expressed her. "if this indicates anything, I'm pretty sure we did."

Kiyoshi laughed. "A bracelet? Straw Hat Luffy picked that out?"

"Surprisingly, yes!" Her fingers played with it as she talked to the older man. "Last night, he told me he just couldn't figure out what got me so upset. He explained how he wanted to fix things right away. To make up for his lack of knowledge of my anger, he gave me a box and told me goodnight." She let out a happy sigh. "He's so simple I expected it to be discounts of meals from different restaurants."

"Instead it was that beautiful bracelet." Kiyoshi added. "But it's not made of any expensive gems so why are you so happy?"

Nami threw her head back to rest it on one of the couch's pillows and kept smiling. "That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA."

Kiyoshi quickly got up on his feet. "Mako? Oh Kami, that's Mako!"

"Didn't that scream come from the front?" Nami, too, was on her feet, heading her way towards the door.

The baker followed her lead. "That little guy sneaked out front through the side of the house again. Seriously!" His hand reached for the doorknob and turned it before pulling. "If that boy wants to hang with his friends, all he has to do is ask-"

"No! Leave me alone! These are my tangerines!" Mako held the basket behind his small body, ensuring he wouldn't let this red vest wearing teen get to them.

" _Yours?_ Those are Nami's! I know that because she's my navigator!"

"Baka! She's part of the Straw Hat Pirates! You're acting as if you're the captain or something!"

"I am the captain!"

"Nu uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

At the scene in front of her, her left hand placed itself onto her waist while her right massaged the bridge of her nose. For goodness sake, how in the hell did her captain catch up to the middle of the island so quickly? She only arrived 5 minutes ago so his early arrival must've been from ditching announcements. Her eyes moved to watch Kiyoshi's figure dash to Mako's side and pick his nephew up.

"Mako! What'd I tell you about going outside by yourself? Because of that, you don't deserve these mikans anymore." After placing his niece onto his shoulders, he quickly took the basket from the child's grasp. Mako attempted in grabbing it back but stumbled when almost falling.

"Not fair, Oji-san!" The 6 year old realized that if his hands were busy trying to grab something, he wouldn't be able to hold on to his uncle. He'll end up falling in the end.

The baker held onto his niece as he bowed slightly to apologize to the man that Mako was so rude to. "Gomennasai, sir. I should've had a better eye on this boy." He then noticed the sandals the man wore which wasn't local to the island's fashion. "I apologize this must be your first visit here. I ensure you, nothing like this will ever happen again-" After his eyes went from his sandals, red vest, scar under his eye, to a straw hat resting upon his head, Kiyoshi couldn't have felt more stupider. His head turned to his left to spot the navigator who wasn't there. His attention went back to the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and the baker's hands felt sweaty from his glare. But after a few seconds, that glare turned into a jolly smile.

Luffy's left hand scratched the back of his neck. "It's ok! It was kinda my fault..." He murmured that last sentence to himself. "Oh! I'm Luffy, by the way!" He tried to ignore the glare from the kid on his shoulders. "Um, where'd you get those mikans?"

That was the question Kiyoshi was afraid of. Should he lie and say they're from a special part of the island? But what if he wants to see where the fruit's from, what then? And if he was honest, what if the captain thought he kidnapped her for the tangerines? A variety of answers swarmed his head and Mako poked his cheek to see what was wrong. Thankfully, Nami appeared.

The cat burglar stretched her captain's right cheek and when feeling that action, Luffy knew who it was. "Nami! There you are! I was looking for you." He pointed at the basket the baker was holding. "I thought those were your tangerines for a moment. Doesn't it look like yours?"

Nami shook her head. "Baka, that's cause those _are_ my mikans."

Luffy frowned. "You never give away your mikans though..." He glanced at the brown-haired man and the basket for a moment. "Well, whatever. Chopper wanted to spend the day with you so I came to find you." He lied.

Her eyebrow rose. Before leaving in the morning, Chopper wasn't really trying to stop her. So it was rather strange for her to hear that.

Her captain grabbed her arm and pulled her slightly. "Cmon, if we head back to the ship now, we'll bump into them on the way."

Nami had no problem with that. Besides, she missed hanging out with the reindeer and yesterday, she missed the opportunity to bond with some of her crew mates. Today would be a great time to make up for that. Just as she was about to wave 'byes' to her two acquaintances, Kiyoshi's invitation startled her.

"Oh but surely you wouldn't want to miss out on the heavy breakfast I made. Wouldn't want it to go to waste. Right, Luffy-kun?" Kiyoshi asked with a sinister grin. Luffy only stared back blankly. However the baker caught the annoyance within that emotionless expression.

Nami understood what this older man was doing. Seeing how nervous he was when asked a question from her captain, she didn't see it coming he'd invite the future King of the pirates. But she should've known Kiyoshi would be nosy and want to know the pirate better. Plus, she's sure he'd indirectly tease her when conversing with Luffy which she wasn't looking forward to. She hoped Luffy would reject the offer but with food mentioned that was impossible.

"Breakfast?! How'd you know I haven't ate yet? Arigatou!"

As soon as Kiyoshi opened the door, Luffy dashed inside and Nami angrily told him off about how disrespectful that was. But the baker didn't mind. Although the cat burglar already came inside, she hadn't took note of the delicious smell of bread coming from the kitchen. Plates upon plates of french toast and strawberry danishes laid on the table next to jars of strawberry or grape jam and butter. A loaf of shoku pan (white bread) covered in thin plastic also sat with the pastries. Kiyoshi offered the pirates a glass plate plus a butter knife if they wanted to spread jam on slices of white bread.

Mako looked amazed at the amount of pastries his uncle baked. He was beside Nami and he tugged her leg to whisper, "Oji-san has never made this much bread just for breakfast before."

Nami grinned at that and wondered why as well. Kiyoshi read her mind though when she and Mako approached the strawberry danishes the baker stood in front of. His hand rested on his nephew's head to mess his hair. "You're right, Mako. Today they were suppose to be tested by the little kids but I decided to change up their menu."

"To what?" Mako asked.

"Animal bread."

Mako's eyes lit up. "Can I choose the animal?! Pleaseee!"

Nami laughed along with Kiyoshi at the little boy's excitement before grabbing two slices of bread, jam, and a strawberry danish to then join Luffy who practically ate almost half of the french toast. Kiyoshi expected that so he wasn't too surprised. "Of course, Mako. Let me guess, a turtle?"

Mako giggled. "Mhm!"

With a couple of glass cups placed on the table, Nami grabbed two of them. She led her way to the fridge and grabbed the milk carton before shutting its door. She was aware where it was since yesterday, Kiyoshi told her to help herself to milk while taste-testing his bread. She poured milk more than halfway for both her and Luffy. After sliding the glass to his plate, he nodded happily at her and chugged the drink. Before slamming the cup, Nami grabbed the bottom of it with her palm and poured more milk for her captain. They never drank milk regularly but it did make a good combination especially with bread.

After a good 10 minutes of stuffing himself with breakfast, Luffy patted his stomach and flashed a grateful smile towards the man sitting across from him. "That was amazing! You make great bread."

The 6-year old smiled proudly for his uncle. "Of course he does! He's the best baker in town, after all!" Suddenly, a thought hit him. This guy next to Nami did yell at him outside and he was still upset with him for trying to take away his basket. But Mako didn't understand what gave the right for this scar-eyed stranger to tell Nami what to do and be let inside via invitation from his uncle. It didn't make sense at all. "Hey wait a minute...who are you?"

Luffy tilted his head, confused. "I said my name already though. I'm Luffy."

Mako squinted his eyes, still not understanding the significance of his name. It answered no questions. Or did it? "Hold on. Luffy..." Mako, too, tilted his head. "Luffy? Luffy." He thought that by repeating the name, something would click in his head and something did. Mako jumped out of his seat and pointed an accusing finger at the man. "Eh?! Monkey D. Luffy?! The captain of the Straw Hat Pirates?!"

He was taken back but was happy his name was recognized by even children. "Yup! That's me!"

Kiyoshi carefully pushed his nephew back into his seat. "The straw hat was very obvious, Mako. How'd you not recognize him?"

"I don't know...I was too busy thinking he was a weirdo for asking me so many questions about Nami's mikans." He looked up at both the captain and navigator. "But it makes sense now.."

Ever since he bumped into Nami because of a little boy who carried familiar-looking mikans, he wondered what their relationship was with Nami. He was sure the man Robin was talking about was this guy. He also wondered how they met but he felt too awkward to ask it. After Mako's discovery, the kitchen fell quiet and Nami broke it by scooting her seat back to stand up.

"Thank you for the meal, Kiyoshi. We really appreciate it. But I originally planned to look around the rest of the island today or be with the crew." Nami flashed a smile to Luffy. "So we'll be on our way."

Although the captain originally wanted to leave, he didn't really mind staying for a few more hours. He wouldn't admit that, of course.

"Now hold on." The older brunette stopped the two pirates from exiting out. A 'ding' was heard from the massive oven he owned. As he put on a pair of light gray oven mitts, he took out four pans of turtle animal bread, 8 in each pan. Mako stared at the small pastries with wonder. "Do you mind helping me bring these over to the market?"

Nami hesitated to answer as she glanced at her captain's stoic stare. Her mouth remained closed, deciding to let Luffy answer for her. Surprisingly, he had the opposite response she expected.

"Sure!" He walked towards Kiyoshi and assisted him in putting the bread in clear, small bags. Nami stared at the two from behind in astonishment, wondering where his eagerness of seeing the crew went. Luffy spun his head and gave her a grin. "Yesterday I was playing with these kids and they used my arms as a jump-rope. I wonder if you're giving this to them."

As Straw Hat finished the packaging, Kiyoshi placed the bread into 4 boxes. He handed the other two to the Straw Hats. "Mako, get my keys and lock the door, will you?"

Mako gave him a salute and did as he was told as the four of them made their way outside, listening to the loud music being played during the festivities happening in the center of the island. As they walked together alongside tourists and locals who were looking forward to the food and items being sold, Mako spotted his playmates at the fruits booth and grew excited at the thought of showing off the Straw Hat pirates visiting their home. "Uncle, uncle! Chiyo, Kenji, and Akira are just over there! C'mon! Let's walk faster! You guys are so slow!"

"Mako, please. Don't be so rude." Kiyoshi scolded.

Before he could refrain his nephew from running off, Luffy carried the child and placed him on his shoulders. The little one held the box of bread for him. "You better hold on tight." Luffy told, chuckling to himself as he stretched his arm. "We'll be there in a few seconds."

Nami's face paled, knowing fully what was about to go down. "Luffy, chotto matte! What if he gets hurt?!" But it was much too late to give him a warning because his arm stretched to the tree next to the fruits booth. He then jumped off the ground to let himself fly to Mako's destination.

"Woohoo!!!" Mako's excitement was heard as the two zoomed in the distance. Although Kiyoshi was worried of the outcome when they landed, he knew he could trust Luffy. Unfortunately for Nami and him, they had to keep walking.

As the tangerine lover walked beside the baker, she asked, "Yknow, these boxes are very light and I'm sure a guy like yourself can handle carrying four. So what are you up to?" He only responded with a smirk. "You better not ask Luffy anything strange, ok?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe I won't." He glanced at her bracelet before she could catch his stare. "Maybe I will."

_______________________________________________

In one of the empty booths, Kiyoshi placed all three boxes on a table, opened it up, and let its aroma do the talking. At the familiar smell, children swarmed to the booth, praising Kiyoshi's baking skills and appreciating the delicious taste. Not even 10 minutes passed by and the boxes were empty except for one pastry left behind. Luffy's mouth watered at it and when allowed to take it, he devoured it quickly.

"How come you didn't bake more stuff and bring it here to sell? You'll make plenty of money that way." Nami commented.

"Yeah! Plus you just let them snatch it without paying!" Luffy added.

Kiyoshi warmly smiled at their concern. "Don't worry, I'm financially stable and it's a tradition I've been doing since Mako was born." His index finger pointed at a packed booth to their right, three booths across from theirs. "Luffy-san, you see that place? That's Panda's bakery. It's famous around these parts of the ocean. That's why there's so many tourists. Not only for a peek at the festivities and market but for their pastries. That place practically birthed ichiba island's fame." He took a moment to stare at the many customers the bakery took in. "In the beginning, it was only us, locals, who were able to appreciate our island's talented bakers' creations. Of course their talent was reached across the globe eventually. Our island's chief decided to welcome incoming tourists with a marketplace like no other with prices that can't be beat. However, the popularity got to the bakery's heads and their prices that used to be generous grew drastically high." A child passed by and waved at Kiyoshi so he waved back. "In a way, it was the kids that really gave the most attention to Panda's Bakery since they adored anything pastry-like. Now? Their own parents don't want to use up so much money for one danish. Simply cause they can't afford the luxury of eating there everyday."

Nami watched Kiyoshi's face sadden as he recalled those memories but instantly light up when a child yelled 'hi'. A smile crept up her face, now seeing his reason behind baking. "I see. So that's why you give free bread to kids everyday. To see them eating happily, huh?"

"Precisely."

Luffy's laughter suddenly caught both of their attention. In front of their booth was a group of children taking turns in jumping over Luffy's arms. He is a goofy person but Nami never expected to see him like kids so much. And of course, he didn't hear a word of Kiyoshi's story-telling but the baker didn't mind as he, too, laughed away when seeing his nephew trip when jumping too slow and yelling at Luffy after. Parents then arrived, retrieving their kids and pulling them further into the crowd.

As the captain and little one sat down, Kiyoshi found it right to put attention onto Nami's beautiful bracelet. "Luffy-san, isn't Nami-san's bracelet gorgeous? The charms match her personality greatly." The shift in joy in Luffy's expression from the kids changed into a deadpan stare at the mention of it.

Nami's cheeks changed to a faint cherry color. She tried to mask it by showing her embarrassment which was in the form of anger. "What about it, _Kiyoshi_?" She spat his name with venom to make it clear that he should quit talking now.

"Just wanted to know what he thinks about it."

Luffy's eyes constantly went to her bracelet then to Nami's face which made her cheeks even more hot red. He then stared at Kiyoshi who held his condescending smirk. "Of course I think it's pretty, I picked it out for her."

Kiyoshi gaped silently at the frank response. It left him feeling a little embarrassed. "Well why would you give your navigator such a gift?"

Luffy refrained himself from glancing over at Nami's direction. He kept his stare with Kiyoshi and so did the baker. He paused before answering. "To show how much I love her." At first, he was hesitant in adding more but did nonetheless. "We're dating." Somehow, Kiyoshi made him wary about his relationship with Nami. His stomach was then filled with regret. He was so confident in saying it, too. But even though he still didn't look towards Nami's way, he felt like she was disgusted that moment. Something in his chest kept painfully throbbing that moment. He didn't even have to look at Nami to know he misunderstood everything from the beginning because she said it loud and clearly for him.

The navigator felt flustered, felt really shy when hearing his indirect but somewhat direct confession? Oh she really didn't know. Her lips slowly crept up to form a genuine smile. Her heart was racing and she felt dizzy. _What's wrong with me? Pull it together, Nami!_ Although she was filled with so much joy, her confusion and unsureness got the better of her and what came out harshly were cruel words instead of the clear happiness she felt that moment. "What are you talking about?! Why in the world would I be dating you? My captain! That's so ridiculous." When realizing what she said in reply, she immediately covered her mouth. He finally met eyes with her and in that blank expression was a hint of sorrow. Her heart began to ache.

An arm was slung over Luffy's shoulder. Somehow the cook didn't catch Nami's words. In his right hand, between his two fingers was a cigarette in which he threw on the ground and stomped on. Sanji let out a clueless chuckle. "There's our captain. I'm surprised you skipped on breakfast, Luffy." His light conversation got no response. When seeing his deadpan look, he stepped away from his captain and observed the scene. A brunette man, a stranger next to Nami-swan. Sanji mistook the situation. "You bastard." The blonde grabbed the older man's shirt and pulled him up, a shockingly light person. "What the hell are you doing with Nami? Are you forcing her to do your work?!"

The tangerine lover knew Sanji wouldn't show no mercy if Kiyoshi's suspicions weren't cleared. She defended the innocent man. "Sanji-kun! No, that's not it! He's a friend!"

Sanji's frown soften at the sight of her as he put the man down. "Oh my apologies, Nami-swan! I was mistaken!"

"Shouldn't he be apologizing to me?" Kiyoshi muttered under his breath. As he fixed his composure, he took in the scene of all 9 Straw Hat pirates standing behind Luffy except for Sanji who was beside Nami.

The cook raised an eyebrow. "Oi, captain. What's up with that look of yours then?" His head spun to face the navigator. "Nami-swan~! Do you have any idea?"

Nami didn't pay attention since she was too focused on Luffy's hollow eyes. His cold stare left shivers down her spine. "No idea..." She said in a half whisper. "L-Luffy?" She called in a shaky tone. Following his name, she wanted to ask what the cook wondered but was left frozen.

No response. Just a weak smile and a nod. Then he walked away. Confusion was plastered on her crew mates faces as their captain threw his hands behind his head, whistling away, while walking towards who knows where.Franky, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook glanced over at Nami's dispirited face. With their concerning eyes that asked Nami 'what happened?', she gave them a soft shrug. The four of them exchanged looks before running to Luffy's direction to find the answers themselves.

As Nami left the booth, Robin and Zoro approached her. The archaeologist wore a sadden look. "Navigator-san, care to explain what's going on?"

Zoro nodded. His attention was directed towards the brunette who held the hand of a small child, wondering why Nami was with them. He put a hand on his katanas just in case he could be a threat. "I mean shit it's the other way around now, isn't it? Now Luffy's pissed because of you." Zoro muttered.

Sanji kicked the moss head's left leg. "Read the room, marimo. It's not the fucking time."

The navigator lifted her head up and stared at Zoro with bulging eyes and a worried look. "Pissed? Luffy's pissed?"

The swordsman scratched his head awkwardly. "Could be. If you saw him from our view, he didn't look too happy. Sheesh, wonder what you did to piss him off." This time, Robin pinched the man.

Nami let out a sigh. A deep, disappointed sigh. What invaded her mind was why Luffy even said they're dating in the first place. Maybe that contributed to her ugly response. It could've been a joke, of course. Her response was in character, too. It's something she'd say to anyone who thought she was dating a crew mate. However, when it came to Luffy, she'd give the opposite answer. But she didn't. She lied to herself and Luffy. Even so, it doesn't explain why he said such a thing to Kiyoshi and why he reacted the way he did! Wouldn't Luffy burst into laughter and say it's a joke? Was he really serious?

As her thoughts were flooded with the previous scene being repeatedly played in her head, Sanji requested, "How about a drink? Nami-swan would like one."

The tangerine lover let out a faint chuckle, surprised he knew exactly what she needed that moment. She spun her head to nod to Kiyoshi, a sign of her departure. Arms then wrapped around Nami and the warmth of Robin made her feel slightly better. With crossed arms, Zoro smirked and reassured her the bar he found would blow her mind.

She appreciated the efforts of her crew mates to get her mind off things but it only had a slight effect. Her heart still ached and Luffy is plaguing her mind.

As she played with the bracelet gifted from her captain, she realized one thing throughout all her confusion. She began to question the relationship they had. Most importantly, she finally understood what he meant that morning during breakfast. She got upset over nothing.

_'What if I told you I didn't want to be friends?'_

Nami wasn't confident in saying it but she did hope it was his own strange way of confessing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm done pasting the chapters!!!!! this is the most recent chapter on both wattpad and on here but don't worry cause I'm posting Chapter 8 written with over 6000 words this week!! I love comments so feel free to leave some!! hope you all like the story!! see you later!


	8. some news

By tomorrow afternoon, the Straw Hats would resume their course on sea. Their departure from Ichiba Island was so close and the excitement of more adventures awaits them. However, the atmosphere wasn't suited for the preparation of a possible enemy or fun overall. It was very tense and it was tricky to bring up decent conversation.

After breakfast, a few were out on deck. Nami sitting in a tanning chair had Chopper in her lap. She petted his head and used him as her comfort. Chopper was 100% okay with being Nami's muse at times. He turned around so he can face the navigator. Conveniently, he wore his therapist cap today. "Nami, how do you feel?"

Mumbles of 'feeling alright' came out and that was the end of Chopper's therapy career. It was clear to anyone that talking to her wasn't the right move. Even Robin wasn't beside her that moment.

Weirdly, Luffy was also on deck; lying on the grass with sunglasses on while staring up at a perfect, blue sky. Brook sat on the swing, sipping on sencha tea. Even though Usopp and Franky invited Luffy to join them in the sharpshooter's factory, he showed zero interest. It made the skeleton wonder why he chose the deck as today's resting spot, knowing fully well Nami is there. What also intrigued the skeleton is the bracelet still being worn despite her harsh words yesterday. Luffy noticed that, too.

"Hmph." He pouted when looking Nami's way. "She's still wearing the bracelet."

Brook began to believe the sunglasses wasn't entirely used for shade but to sneakily glance at Nami. "Of course she is, Luffy-san. She loves it."

The musician got no other reply but mutters and grunts.

After yesterday's encounter and Luffy running off, Brook was one of the crewmates to accompany their captain. Franky, Usopp, Chopper, and him expected some sort of explanation. Instead, it was like a switch turned on in Luffy and the captain was goofy and all smiles again. The Straw Hat wouldn't talk about how Nami and him spent their day and the four knew not to ask. The rest of the day was fun as they played booth games and constantly snacked. They almost forgot why they followed him around that day.

No one left ship yet. Either because Sanji was going to cook lunch or everyone wanted to wait for Nami's orders. Brook threw a glance her way and it didn't look like she was going to get up anytime soon.

Maybe that's why Luffy abruptly got up and strode her direction. The shades he was wearing was now placed on the soft, wet grass. When Chopper caught a glimpse of Luffy's hat, the reindeer nervously shook his head; wishing to shoo him away. But that didn't stop the captain at all. While Nami had her head in the clouds, Luffy snatched Chopper from her grasp and tossed him to Brook. As the doctor landed, he stomped on the wooden deck and yelled insults at his carelessness.

Robin's tanning chair was free for the taking and before he made himself comfortable, he placed his straw hat on Nami's head. That is when Nami realized his presence.

His hands thrown behind his head and his legs wide open while staring at the ocean irked her. Was he upset or not? Zoro's stupid words had been invading her mind since it happened. The rubber man didn't look particularly mad especially with him whistling a random tune. What is going on in that man's head?

"Nami." He called for her but didn't look her away. "Why are you still wearing it?"

The navigator didn't let the words sink long enough. "Wearing what?"

Grabbing her wrist gently, he flashed the silver and blue bracelet on her right wrist. "This."

Her cheeks flushed at the indication. Since the other day she got used to it being an asset on her wrists. After washing her face, brushing her teeth, showering, and changing, she began wearing her assets. First the bracelet given by her sister, Nojiko then the Log pose. Then a new step in her morning routine: taking the charming jewelry from its box and displaying it on her right wrist before joining the rest on deck. Even though she learned the meaning behind the gift yesterday, her muscle memory wasn't affected by the news. She hid her wrist away from him and huffed. "It was an accident! I didn't mean to!"

Luffy squinted for a few seconds to then scoff.

That surprised Nami as she never really witnessed her captain roll his eyes and behave in such a manner. Without thinking, she fiddled with the bracelet and said, "Is it true?" Her lips began to tremble; the words refusing to spill out. "Is what you said true yesterday?"

His gaze had been on her when she spoke but was quickly averted when that question was brought up. He scratched his cheek, pretending he was thinking of a response. But his stomach grumbled and his mind wasn't occupied with that worry anymore. Retrieving his hat, he arose and shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows?"

The moment Sanji exit out the kitchen with a tray full of fried chicken, Luffy hurried the cook's way. The aroma of today's lunch wandered inside Usopp's factory. Acting as a spell, its smell hyptonized Usopp and Franky into coming out to head to the kitchen.

Brook had been eyeing the two's conversation and so was Chopper. However their attention span quickly shortened when lunch was finally served. Even Robin returned to deck with a book in hand. As the archaelogist took a seat, she noticed Nami's flushed cheeks but also her creased eyebrows; her gaze glued onto Luffy's back. Seeing how the top of her head was messier than the rest of her orange locks implied she was wearing their captain's hat just recently.

"Nami-san? How's your day so far?" Robin politely asked.

Her head spun, not realizing her nakama's presence. "Ah! It's been well."

Surprisingly, she has yet to see the navigator play dress-up on deck. "Are you planning on shopping this afternoon?" Robin noted Nami's side glances every now and then to the meat lover.

"I might stay here for today..." She let her words trail off as Sanji approached the ladies with drinks and a plate of white rice and chicken. Nami resumed the conversation when he left to scold Zoro. "The island's big but also very small. The first day we came I think I covered the entirety of it already."

"So you'll be completing a map of it during the day?"

"Yup, that's the plan."

Robin quickly murmured, "Captain-san might not like that" and luckily she didn't catch her words. 

After filling up empty bellies, half of the crew sought to more celebrating and more buying courtesy of their treasurer of course. Another went off to find some good beer and another crewmate that should've left already was standing in front of Nami with a frown.

"Let's go already." Luffy commanded, waiting for his navigator to show slight movement.

Even after explaining why she'd rather stay, Luffy didn't budge. "Luffy, if you're so worried, Robin will be with me all day."

His expression said it all after hearing her words. Robin can hear the Straw Hat itching to say, 'But I want to spend time with you'. Instead of vocalizing it, he used his actions. He walked over to the grass and laid on it again, covering his face with his hat to block the sun.

"Don't complain if you get bored, baka!" Nami yelled from the other side. A sigh let out as she made her way to the women's quarters to start working on her map. Disappointment colored the pirate's face when seeing her out of sight.

As soon as the doors closed, using her Hana Hana powers, she lifted the younger one off the floor to land lightly on Nami's beach chair. She chuckled behind her hand and Luffy grew pouty. "Captain-san, if you don't tell her how you feel it will never register in her mind, you know?"

"How I feel??" He blurted out. "Feel about what??" Robin can tell he misinterpreted her words.

She was going to clarify but found him guessing was more entertaining. Her lips curved into a grin as she watched Luffy slightly squirm in his seat. "What do you think, Captain-san?"

"How I feel about the guy and his kid? I don't really care. I don't feel anything." He answered with his words jumbled up together and Robin knew she had pushed him into a corner. Her curiosity grew, wondering why Luffy would bring Nami's new acquatainces up.

Robin chuckled again. "Luffy-kun, that's not what I was referring to."

As Luffy realized he blurted out what has occupied his mind, he rolled over to the other side to hide his embarrassed look. She asked why he brought them up but she was only given soft pouts.

The long wooden plank that led down to the sand began to shake. The thuds growing increasingly louder as they walked up further and further. But both Luffy and Robin did not let that faze them, assuming a crewmate forgot something. The squeals of a young child was not what they expected.

"Mako please! Behave! This isn't a playground!" The baker emerged from below with a child on his shoulders laughing away and pointing at the unique features of the ship.

Excitedly, Mako jumped off and dashed to the swing made from rope and a sanded out wooden plank. Again, his laughter filled the ship as he enjoyed himself.

Luffy stared blankly at the kid and baker and what swarmed angrily in his head was, _Why are they here?_

"Mako!" Kiyoshi's tone was harsher and his eyebrows were knitted together when his nephew refused to listen. The little boy hopped off the swing and shamefully walked towards his uncle with his head down. "I'm so sorry for that Straw Hats; he's filled with too much energy today." The baker scanned to see no hot tempered navigator in sight. When meeting eyes with a stoic captain and beautiful archaeologist, he felt shy.

"So what's up?" Luffy asked, crossing his arms as he looked down at a flat, thin box stuffed into the baker's front pocket.

Mako blurted out, "We want to see Nami! Oji-san wants to give-" His uncle hurriedly covered the little boy's mouth.

Nervously he admitted, "I-It's exactly as he said." The two looked comfortable in their beach chairs and Kiyoshi knew he interruptted something. He knew he was definitely a disturbance.

A long, heavy pause was made and Robin watched her captain shrug and turn his head back to the waves crashing on shore. His whistling was supposed to be a sign to also lie about her whereabouts but Robin was far too entertained to simply listen to her captain's demands.

Her index finger pointed toward a door on the top right. "She's in there, working on her maps."

Luffy spun his head to her feeling betrayed. She chuckled his way, knowing Luffy wouldn't do nothing but angrily mutter behind Kiyoshi's back.

Kiyoshi and Mako, hand in hand, took the stairs to see Nami.

"Robin!" Luffy sharply whispered. "Why'd you tell them!"

The older woman acted oblivious. "Because they asked, Captain-san."

"But-"

"Luffy-kun, if you really didn't want him to see her, you could've actually replied instead."

He took his hat off and dragged his fingers on the scratchy texture. "But that would be rude..."

When glancing on the second floor he spotted Nami in a tight tee that glorified her curves with short shorts on; she was peering out the door with surprised eyes. "There she is." Luffy thoughtlessly said out loud. His eyes followed both tall figures with a little kid inbetween them walking near the Thousand Sunny's head. Something in his mind told him to comfortably hop on the lion's head so he could be able to hear their conversation. Another part of his mind told him not to and stay with Robin. But when he focused his attention back to the older one, he realized he would be attacked with more questions. He took in a deep breath before stretching his arms far, far back and fly towards the Thousand Sunny's head. Robin snickered as her captain made his way to his navigator.

Mako tried to jump onto the lion head but it was much too high for him. Nami chuckled softly at his struggle. "So what do you need?"

That's when it all came back. Kiyoshi's plan that was thought up terribly within the five minutes he suddenly awoke at 4:18 am. His guilty conscience biting at his brain for probably making the navigator and captain never speak to each other again. Thinking about it now, that would never happen but in his defense he was half awake.

A baker in his mid-20s had come up with what a cliche romance author would conjure up to make amends. Yes, he was hesitant on his way here. But is it too late to back down? Absolutely.

Their stay wasn't going to be long. It would be very short. So the moment he saw Luffy land on their ship's lion head, Kiyoshi was well aware he was within ear's reach. In a normal tone, the quick words of a confession slipped out of his mouth. A thin box also slipped out of his front pocket into the navigator's hand.

Quickly grabbing his nephew's arms and holding him safely, he jumped off the ship and landed on the sand. The harsh contact of his feet on it almost made him collapse. But he was too fearful of the Straw Hats captain to give up right there.

Nami confusingly stared at the extremely light box then at Kiyoshi's dashing figure towards the center of the town.

Luffy clearly heard what the baker just said and tried to contain the annoyance he was about to unleash.

Robin, who was far to hear the conversation, laughed lightly at her captain's pouty look. But Luffy caught glimpse of an ear Robin conjured up right beside Nami's black-wedged slippers. What he really didn't need was eavesdropping.

Although he had no idea whether Robin can overhear a conversation inside a room, he was sure his deadly gaze got the message through to her. The message to leave them alone and enjoy a good book instead.

"Let's go."

Such cold words that it made Nami freeze for a moment then proceed to do as he said. She'll give him a bonk to the head after she finds out what is going on with him.

Once again, he stepped into the women's quarters. Once again, he sat on her bed. Once again, she let it slide without consequence.

When noticing the obvious aggravation Luffy had for the medium sized box in her hand, she hid it behind herself. Her throat suddenly became dry.

"What's your answer?" The meat lover wouldn't stop giving her an intimidating stare.

"What- Oh." At first, she was lost. "To what Kiyoshi said? He's joking, baka."

"What if he's serious?"

"I would say no, of course. You think I have time for that as _your_ navigator, Luffy?" She noted his sigh of relief and his now relaxed body and mind after. "Does it bother you? What he said?"

"...maybe." Luffy whispered, still a bit angry despite his also relaxed shoulders. "He likes you..." He meant to murmur that to himself but it went through to Nami.

The red head was sitting beside him, watching his expression change every now and then. The man was a confusing mess at times. "And why should that matter to you?"

What left her paralyzed from shock that day was a few sentences she never thought she'd hear straight from her captain's mouth. That includes a frustrated and embarrassed look as he admitted, "It's because I like you. And you like me. So of course it matters."

This man, just a year younger than her, really proved why she never liked younger men and always went for the older. But she can always make an exception, just for him; just for Luffy. This 18-year old sounding like an elementary school fool actually confessed.

She laughed. Unfortunately not considering that it may strike a nerve of his but that didn't matter. Letting her back hit her mattress, she laid on her bed staring at the back of Luffy's red vest and straw hat. Jokingly she asked, "Do you have any idea what you just said, Luffy?"

He retorted back. "Yes. We're dating. That I understand."

That only gave her more reason to laugh.

Luffy's frown deepen as he watched the ceiling instead of her laughing self. "But I'm serious." He patiently waited for a question; maybe something like 'Why do you think that?' Seeing how she won't take him seriously, he guessed that they in fact did not have a relationship at all and that stung him. After some long silence, it only confirmed that she had no idea they were 'like that'.

"What's in the box?" Would changing his confession to a different subject help his situation? It could. Luffy will test that out.

She slowly revealed the red box, dotted with pink hearts all over, tied together with an glittery, white satin ribbon. She handed it to her captain. "Here, open it."

That left him surprised. But he didn't ask any further. When tugging on one end of the ribbon, it untied itself. He tilted the box upside down so whatever was inside would fall. As the decorated top cover fell on Nami's soft bed, nothing came out. Luffy thought it was stuck to the bottom so he peeked back inside but was left disappointed. There was absolutely nothing. No object, no gift. Just a note directed to Luffy himself. His attention went back to Nami who was just as clueless as him.

"What's with that look?" She genuinely had no idea what was going on. "There's nothing there huh? Geez." Her eyes rolled. "What was the point of them coming here to just give me some fancy box?" She watched Luffy concentrate on the bottom of the box for some time. "I'll use it to put my bracelets in if I have to be optimistic about this." She offered her open palm but Luffy didn't budge. "Eh? Luffy? Can I see that box?"

Her question made him jump and so he stuffed the box into his back pocket. His mood changed. He was a little nervous and all smiles again. "Actually I kinda want to keep it." Then like a child, he ran out of her room holding the box carefully. 

"Ehhhh?!" Nami exclaimed as she tried to catch up but his figure vanished towards the other end of the ship. Robin was currently watering her own little garden when Nami looked up just in case Luffy tried to fool her. "Robin-san, where's Luffy?" 

"Hiding." Her daisies were blooming so beautifully thanks to the spring weather. She continued watering while she responded to the navigator. "I guess you have to find him, Navigator-san." 

The tangerine lover groaned. "What is up with him?!" She cracked her knuckles and stormed off to the kitchen where she hoped he'd await. No way is she actually going to search the ship head to toe. 

Chopper gazed at the Thousand Sunny that they were about to return to. Along his side was Zoro and Franky who accompanied him to buy even more herbs. It was a real pain whenever they lost Zoro. Almost half of their time was spent looking for the swordsman and he always ended up in the strangest places. Somehow they found him in the woods and the literal end of the island. How was it possible when they were in the center the whole time? They had no clue. 

The question that should be asked is why are they returning to ship so early in the day? It has only been a few hours yet a non-member of their crew sent them back. Kiyoshi never gave them clear details but his face was painted with worry. That expression only gave them the picture of trouble. Whatever the trouble may be, Kiyoshi made it clear the ones who stayed back needed them. 

As they ran towards ship, they crossed paths with Sanji, Usopp, and Brook. 

The sharpshooter kept panting yet he can still throw in a few words as he was out of breath. "Kiyoshi....warned....too?" 

Franky nodded. "So that's why he was in a rush, he was trying to tell you guys, too."

"Nami-swan~! Robin-chwan~! I'm coming, my loves!" Sanji cried. His head was then flooded with the thought of the two crying for his help and that encouraged the cook to run faster to save them. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The blonde screamed as he forced his pace to be 10 times quicker. Because of that, his feet scraped the dirt so rapidly that the friction caused the ground to set on fire. 

Franky sped up so he can diminish the flames with his robotic, large feet. "We should hurry, too. Who knows what trouble they're in right now." 

Sanji arrived way before them and yet it didn't look like he was helping at all. He just stood at the edge without caution. The rest of the crew joined the cook and they understood now why he did nothing. Before them was Luffy and Nami on the floor. Their captain pinning his navigator's arms with one hand while his free hand held up a heart-dotted box up in the air; the red head underneath the younger one trying to catch her breath. 

The air suddenly became piping hot and that was because Sanji was fuming. "LUFFY, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE-" 

"And I'll take that." After 10 minutes of trying to retreive what was rightfully hers, Nami watched the archaeologist snatch her gift out of Luffy's hands with no problem. The captain spun around to grab it back but she was too quick for him that moment. "You two have been fighting about this little box for almost 10 minutes." She removed the lid to see what she'd find. "I wonder what's in here." For a split second, the older woman froze. Her gaze then went upon Luffy and her grin slowly grew. "I see now." Her captain covered half his face that slowly began to glow red and used the other to attempt to take it back. 

Usopp and Chopper emerged behind her. "Lemme see, Robin!" Chopper said in excitement. Both doctor and sharpshooter also froze when realizing the content. 

Nami sat up to study her crewmates faces as they all slowly began to peek inside. The one crewmate who was most drastically affected at what they saw was Sanji. His face grew pale as if he saw a ghost and with wobbling knees he made his way to the navigator. Kneeling down and placing his hands on her shoulders, he sobbed. "Nami-swan....please tell me it isn't true..."

The crew stared down at her with shy looks and that really confused her. Also how come they all saw what was inside first?! What the hell is even inside?! "Sanji-kun, what are you talking about??" 

Finally, she was given the box. Robin handed it back to her, helping Sanji explain his thoughts. "This'll answer it."

The suspense built up to its peak already that Nami's heart would explode if she didn't take a peek herself. Lifting the lid, she was greeted with no item. But a note that wasn't even for her. She clicked her tongue when she thought this was all a waste of her time but when she read it thoroughly, all their reactions made sense now. Her heart wouldn't stop thumping and she knew she was growing hotter and hotter by the minute. 

The note read:

_To Luffy: Nami loves you. Like a lot._

_From: Mako & Kiyoshi_

Luffy gazed at how quickly her expression changed. First she was impatient and confused then she was tight-lipped and slowly became rattled. Her fingers stroked the bracelet he gave her then she bit her thumb, eyes stuck to the note as if she was reading a whole essay. Meeting her eyes felt like his heart did a backflip. Oh how pretty her dark brown eyes were when the sunlight hit them. 

In a panic, she felt the urge to toss the box into the ocean. Disregarding how damaging that would be to sea-life, she dashed to the railing and was ready to throw it as far as she could. But Luffy was one step behind her. The box was back in his grasp. "I-It's not true." Vocalizing the truth made her feel like she was going to throwing up to her. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. There was no logical reason. Somehow, it was the most difficult thing to say. Shouldn't it be easy? He pretty much confessed right? 

"Wait." She mistakenly said out loud. _That's why._ In her head, it hit her. Why she was so reluctant, why her lips wouldn't say it just yet. It was due to that one, singular fact. _Dating....He said we were dating?_ Why did she let that swoop past her mind? Since when did that happen?! He mentioned that so many times and her mistake was taking it too lightly, believing it was a joke. That's why. That idiot must have misinterpreted the meaning of 'dating' and mindlessly thought they were an item. That's why! Maybe he thinks 'dating' is close friendship or something. If the man didn't know what that means, how can she be so sure that her feelings for him are mutual?! "Luffy, it's a prank..." At that point, Nami was just babbling. "They were pranking you, baka." Her fake laughter filled in the atmosphere's silence. Talk about awkward; the whole crew was watching the two of them. 

"You're lying." Luffy was fed-up. His patience was wearing out. Playing this game with Nami was tiring. "You know why I know you're lying?" 

"Luffy, let's do this somewhere else." Eyeing her crew's faces left her uncomfortable. She felt too exposed. 

The captain couldn't symphatize. Who cares if the crew was listening? "You kissed me." He looked at Usopp and added, "So you like me." 

Sanji's sobs grew louder and the crew's gawks grew more dramatic. 

"Luffy!" Nami's face flushed. "Not here!"

"You kissed me in the kitchen." Luffy squinted his eyes at his navigator, trying to determine if she's irritating him on purpose. "You don't just a kiss a friend on the lips, right? That's more than friendship so that means we're dating." Again, he looked over at Usopp. "Ain't that right, Usopp?"

The sharpshooter stuttered when meeting Nami's eyes, already seeing the image of being repeatedly punched. "N-no, Luffy! J-just cause someone k-kisses you, doesn't automatically m-mean you two are d-dating!" He face-palmed himself. "You misunderstood me, idiot!"

As Usopp explained, their captain's face contorted to a dejected look. His face was colored with hopelessness and actual defeat. It was one-sided. "Oh..." The box that was clutched by his left hand fell from his hold. Awkwardly smiling, he scratched his head. "My bad, Nami. I didn't really understand it, haha." Then he made his exit to the crow's nest, launching himself up there with a blank stare. 

________________________________________________

"Luffy?" 

Up in the crow's nest, she found her captain. There he was on a bench wrapped around one half of the circular tower. His back only being seen as his straw hat hung on the astronomical telescope placed inside. 

As Nami approached him with the intent of being non-vicious, she noticed his lashes were fairly long. His chest steadily rising up gave the impression he was sleeping but she caught on to his breathing suddenly coming to a stop when basking in her precense. 

She waited a minute more to watch his next move but he stayed as still as a stone statue. Rolling her eyes, Nami shook his shoulder lightly. "Luffy, I know you're awake." Silence still remained. This time his breathing resumed but it was a bit delayed. With a sigh, she sat down beside him. Her lap was just inches away from his head. 

His cheeks puffed up causing him to pout as he slid his head on top of Nami's lap. The navigator flushed in embarrassment as her captain laid on her thighs. Finally meeting her eyes, his gaze was a mixture of whininess and genuine annoyance. His attitude this whole day in particular was odd. "What are you doing here?" 

Nami was battling an inner conflict the moment her thighs was used as a cushion for the captain. Should she beat him up or give him mercy this one day and pinch his cheeks? Oh what to do? "Why do you think, you idiot?" Frequently visiting the crow's nest was never part of her schedule because of how smelly it gets after Zoro's workout. But the ocean's scent wandered in here courtesy of opened windows that reminded her of Kokoyashi's coast. Looking out the window, she watched its waves crash onto the sand. "You stormed off."

Luffy groaned and grabbed his hat to cover his face. Now his anterior faced the room's ceiling and his head still rested on her lap. He whispered, "Well I found out I was wrong the whole time." 

Nami wondered if she were to take his hat away from him what kind of face would he be hiding. Instead of testing that out, her hand crawled over to his messy, black hair. With her fingers, she combed through the tangles. "Wrong about what?" 

The meat lover removed his hat out of his face to direct his confused look at her. "What? We just talked about it?"

Nami chuckled. "About your definition of 'dating'? Of course you were wrong, baka. You missed the most important fact: both are aware they're together." Her hand crawled back to her side when Luffy's eyes stayed stuck onto hers. "I'm sorry about yesterday." Referring back to the incident near the booths, she added, "It was so unexpected that I reacted harshly." She sighed as apologizing was an act her pride didn't like admitting. "You weren't wrong about one thing though..." 

Her last sentence was muttered under her breath yet Luffy still managed to catch it. Abruptly getting up, he properly sat beside her. With twinkling eyes and an excited look, Luffy asked, "What was I right about? Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!!" 

"Before I talk about that," Her arms crossed together and so did her legs. "Tell me about that _story_ you told to the whole crew!" In anger, she cracked her knuckles. "When did that ever happen!? And you used that to justify that we're together! I don't even remember doing that!"

Luffy scratched his head nervously and let out an awkward laugh. "I may have left out a few things..."

"Like what?"

Letting out a snicker, he told, "You were either half-drunk or half-sleep." Although she was definitely baffled, her face lost color and Luffy assumed memory of that event came back to her. "You fell asleep in the kitchen and I was hoping to raid the fridge before Sanji found out." The captain displayed a soft smile. "There was 5 tiny cups of finished sake in front of you and your head was down. I sat beside you and tried to wake you up. When you picked your head back up, you grinned and kissed me. Then you fell back asleep." 

Nami had her face covered with both hands as she shook her head in humiliation. The morning after that night, she pondered on how vividly she remembered that dream and how real his lips felt. But she never gave it more thought. Seperating her fingers apart to peek at Luffy, she was met with genuine laughter. "Stop laughing! It's not funny!" She punched his shoulder but held back. "Who told you _kissing_ meant a relationship? I mean it's something lovers do but I didn't even know we were in one!"

His laughter paused and he shamefully answered, "Usopp."

The navigator clicked her tongue. "He's dead tomorrow."

An awkward silence then fell between the two of them. How they felt towards each other was as plain as day. After all of Luffy's bold replies, he cowered down and zipped his mouth shut this time. Questions about 'Is this the right moment?' 'Will I regret this?' 'What's right to say?' swarmed like a buzzing bee in their heads. 

It was clear why Nami still kept wearing the bracelet. It was clear why she approached him. It was clear why she never immediately rejected Luffy when he boldly stated how he felt. It was all so very clear. Clearer than glass.

Luffy's weird acts of affection may have started off as a misunderstanding but everything he's done surely meant something. Although Usopp phrased the definition weirdly, he never rejected the thought of Nami being his. He never ignored Usopp's words but kept it and did something with what he learned. There was a reason. 

Her heart wouldn't stop thumping. Beating more and more every millisecond. Her heart was going to explode at this rate. Her stomach felt uneasy; the popular phrase of feeling butterflies.

Sweaty palms. Nervous movement. Constant tapping of the floorboard. His body refused to keep still. It's like his brain was acting on its own. It refused to listen to its inner thoughts. 

"Luffy?"

Her voice. The roaring voice that would scold him daily kept him still. "Yeah?"

"Wanna know what you're right about it?" Nami asked, keeping her gaze at what's outside the Crow's Nest's window. She spotted Chopper waving at her while on Usopp's shoulders. Usopp covered his eyes to avoid her deadly stare. Sanji also waved but layed down on the floor in tears. She huffed and pushed herself and Luffy down on the floor so they wouldn't be seen. 

Luffy gave his full attention to her. "Not anymore." His eyes showed disinterest. 

"W-what?" Looking down at her painted toenails, she frowned in worry. _Seriously?! That was the only way I would actually- IS HE MESSING WITH ME?!_ Instead of sitting on the actual seats, they sat cross-legged on the floor. Not only were her legs crossed but her arms as well. Her eyebrows knitted together while her rage spewed in mutters. "Fine! Suit yourself!" 

Feeling crushed, she paced to the exit; her hand inches away from pushing the door open. But her waist was being pulled away from the door and another hand softly placed itself on her cheek. His touch made her shiver. She's been rescued by him plenty of times but this touch was way different. His hands were so soft and gentle. It caught her off guard and distracted her from what she'd feel next: his lips grazing her ear. 

In a low whisper, he told, "I kinda have a hint." On cue, her head spun around; she looked stumped. Grinning ear to ear, he wrapped both of his arms around her. Just like he did the first time he 'thought' they were dating. He bumped his forehead on top of the navigator's hair. He felt very weird and wasn't sure what to do after that. After all, his actions right now was what Franky instructed him to do. On top of catching Franky and Robin whenever they were alone, whether reading a book or talking in the aquarium. He was like a toddler mimicking words; whatever he saw them do, he'd imitate with Nami. Uncertainty then upset the captain's stomach but that all went away when he felt Nami's lips again.

Turning her around, she now faced him; his left hand crept up to the back of her head and his right hand rested around her hip. 

Quietly giggling, Nami backed away and tucked all her hair behind her shoulders. Luffy couldn't help but note how pretty she is. "So what are you right about?"

Luffy tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders. The meat lover got off of the ground then squished his face on the glass window to look for his comrades. He spotted Robin lightly swing back and forth with Chopper sitting on her lap. Lying on the grass was Franky and Usopp, doing nothing but stare at the sky. He tried to catch their attention by waving his arms around and jumping. But Nami quickly stopped him by bonking his head. The captain rubbed his bump and glared at her. "Who cares? I already know you like me." He still gazed the deck from up above and then an interesting notion struck him. His attention went straight back to his navigator who wore an irritated look. Wondering how he can pull her way without pissing her off even more, his mind replayed the scene he saw yesterday of a random woman holding her lover's hand while running into the crowd. Beaming a smile, his fingers intertwined with Nami's and he pulled her out of the crow's nest. He felt no resistance or refusal and that left him satisfied. Landing on deck, he held his and Nami's hand and raised it up the air to shout, "NAMI LIKES ME! NAMI REALLY, REALLY LIKES ME. SHE-"

Running out of the kitchen, Sanji dashed to the deck and tackled Luffy. Nami dodged Sanji's fast figure before she was caught up into their mess. "WHY, KAMI? WHY?!!!!!!" It was so hard to accept the fact that it'll happen. But the cook was too much in denial. He's been experiencing the stages of grief for a few days now. "My sweet ladies...they're now spoken for..." Dramatically falling onto his knees, he admitted defeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's chapter 8! my longest chapter ever!!! hope you like this one!!! mwuah mwuah mwuah


	9. talking with the captain

At the end of dawn, every morning, Sanji always had one question to answer: What should he cook for breakfast? Usually it was always the first thing that'd come to mind. What immediately popped into his head was grilled fish accompanied with miso soup. The cook liked that choice of food and exited out the men's quarter with joy. What really encouraged him to cook was to see his lovely ladies faces rise with delight.

By 7:30, he practically finished with today's breakfast. It was no surprise that Luffy was the first one to enter the dining room. However, the reason for it was not as expected.

In came his begging captain whose eyes were still groggy. He laid his head and arms onto the long table and groaned. Sanji was in the middle of plating; he was looking for the small bowls he had and glass plates in his upper cabinets. He also couldn't forget the silver tray he'd place Robin-chwan and Nami-swan's food on. "You're up really early. Your stomach couldn't wait?"

Luffy shook his head. "Nope, that's not why."

With an Asian soup spoon, he carefully scooped the miso soup from its pot to the multiple bowls for his crewmates. While focusing on his task, he asked Luffy, "Then what are you here for?"

Mugiwara pointed at the silver tray. "I wanna tell Nami that I made that for her."

At first, Sanji thought he was joking. Sure, he paused for a second but he then resumed his morning routine.

Luffy then got off of his seat and was behind his cook, peering from beyond his shoulder to see what exactly he was making. "...fish and soup? Hmm, it'd definitely impress Nami if I told her I made this!"

And when Luffy repeated himself once more, Sanji couldn't accept the bizarre idea. "Huh?! You shitty captain! I'm not letting you take any credit for my work!"

"Pleaseeeee! Captain's order though!" Luffy exclaimed with a huff.

Sanji hesitated to reply. "What? But-" There were little times Luffy actually declared that but never did he hear it towards Sanji himself. By this logic, Luffy would've chose to use that against him to eat more meals so why was it so different this time?

"Yup! Captain's order and you can't refuse it!" Straw Hat's grin widen as he watched Sanji's uncertainty. Luffy stood in front of today's breakfast and watched the steam from the soup rise into the air. "So I'll be taking this!" Attentively, the meat lover snatched away the cuisine and before rushing out the door said, "You can still give it to Robin y'know!"

That surprisingly soothed Sanji's rage as his captain raised a good point. At least he can hand his meal to one of the two beautiful women on board. After Luffy ran away, Sanji carried on with arranging each plate and tiny bowl in front of each seat along with metal utensils and napkins. But his peaceful work was abruptly interrupted by a giant, blue-haired cyborg.

"Sanji! I need to ask a favor!" Franky slammed the door open, causing the dishes to move a centimeter to the right.

It still infuriated Sanji that he almost ruined today's breakfast. "What is it?"

"Sorry, sorry!" apologized Franky as he closed the door softly behind him. "Listen, Luffy and I made a bet last night..." His eyes wandered to the busy kitchen counter, signaling Sanji's cooking done. A curse escaped his lips. "I was planning on helping you out this morning but my alarm didn't go off this time." He clapped his hands together to show how genuine he was being. "I swear I'll help you cook breakfast tomorrow so, just this once, can I please take the credit of making this singular meal?"

The swirly-brow cook crossed his arms and hummed. "Tell me what the bet is about."

"See who can make breakfast the best."

Sanji shook his head like a disappointed dad but also wanted to be supportive. He handed the silver tray that carried Robin's meal without complaint. He may have wanted to hand it to Robin himself but Franky was really polite about it. "Here, take it." After Franky expressed his gratitude, the cook added, "Also Luffy just came in here before you and snatched one of my dishes. You better hurry out there if you don't want to lose."

Franky quickly grabbed a dish then almost knocking the door down, Franky pulled it open. "Dammit, Sanji! You should've told me way sooner! Thanks though!"

And as the cyborg left, Sanji gave himself some time to relax on the empty bench built in the dining room. His mind shut down and his body grew tired. Laying down, he let out a loud, loud groan and said, "My ladies have been taken away for good. DAMN, CAPTAIN. DAMN, CYBORG. YOU TWO DON'T DESERVE THEM!"

_____________________________________________________

After a refreshing bath that Nami and Robin shared, they expected only peace the rest of that morning. Robin was on her way to water her plants and Nami impatiently waited for the seagull to drop down today's news.

The archeologist wore a blue thin-layered skirt that reached her ankles while styling it with a white blouse and a long golden necklace given to her by Franky. Her hair was up into a ponytail and she rocked small, hoop earrings. Her outfit that day correlated with her flowers.

The navigator wore a white lace, mini skirt and a purple bikini top accompanied by her hair in two braids and multiple bracelets on display on both wrists.

 _The ladies look splendid today_ , Sanji thought as he exited the kitchen with curiosity on what the two idiots would do with his dish. But also to announce breakfast is ready. "Oi! Time to eat, you shitheads!" His rude call directed at the rowdy men. "Oh Nami-swan~! Robin-chwan~! You stay there, my doves!"

On their way to the dining room, Chopper and Usopp spared a glance at their captain and the cyborg running to the usual spot the ladies relaxed at. While Chopper was much too hungry to stay and watch what was going on, Usopp did for him. On each of the two's hand was a plate they were balancing rather carelessly as they used their free hand to push the other away. The sharpshooter watched the two of them place down their dish on the small table in front of Nami. Franky quickly walked to Robin to swipe her off her feet and carry her to where Nami is. Usopp thought they were just being idiots and broke his attention away.

"Nami! Nami! Try what I made with Sanji! It's really, really good!" The Straw Hat's captain jumped in glee as he presented his breakfast for her.

"Hey- Dammit, Luffy! He did nothing at all! Unlike him, I actually helped! Try it, Robin. I swear you won't be disappointed!" Franky smiled wide as he pushed the dish closer to the archeologist.

Robin and Nami glanced at each other in utter confusion. Why their partners were acting so odd was a mystery to them?

Luffy pushed Franky's face away at his lie. "You didn't help! You woke up way later than me, liar!"

That irked the shipwright as he glowered down at his captain. "Huh?! You're the liar! Do you really expect anyone on this ship to believe you cooked something?"

"Yeah!"

"And who would that be?"

Luffy proudly nodded. "Nami, of course!"

"Ugh! Will you two quit the racket! It's still morning, you idiots!" Nami exclaimed with irritation. "God, you two are giving me a headache!"

"Let's just do as they ask, Nami-san." Robin took a fork and stuck it in a chunk of the grilled fish. "Plus, it does look delectable."

Her irritation was sparked by the late arrival of the world news but it simmered by Robin's soft voice and the enticing smell of the meal. She gave in and spat, "Fine." Before taking a bite, she looked up at her captain's bright smile and asked, "You really made this with Sanji?" Luffy's nod wasn't entirely convincing but she was too hungry to talk back.

Franky and Luffy expected the two's eyes to widen and their eating to become rapid because of how appetizing it tasted. But their reactions weren't extreme as they hoped. Their expressions didn't differ; just chewing and swallowing politely.

After several bites, Nami spoke up first, "You know, we aren't stupid. It's obvious that-" But the mikan lover wasn't expecting her words to be cut off that moment.

Robin drowned the rest of her nakama's words by continuing it with, "-this is truly savory. You're a great chef, Franky-san."

With a prideful smirk, the cybrog gazed at Luffy. His posture straightened and his arms were crossed together; he was truly proud of the compliment that was given.

The meat lover was undeniably jealous of such praise and eyed his new lover with puppy-eyes; awaiting a similar compliment like Robin's but Nami showed no sign of giving so.

The red-head gaped at her nakama with baffled eyes. It was questioning why Robin would blatantly lie but for some peculiar reason and Nami took it as something she must do as someone's lover. When realizing the happiness that framed Franky's half-human face, it occurred to her that sometimes she should consider Luffy's joy and if she had to lie to see him in bliss, so be it. "Yes, yes. Er-" She can see the impatience in his eyes as he awaited for her response. "It's...very good, Luffy-kun."

Though lacking a better choice of words and meaningful tone, Luffy considered it a win and also stood proudly.

While both men departed with elated attitudes, Nami spun her head back to Robin who returned to finishing breakfast. "It was clearly all made by Sanji. As _if_ they contributed to anything."

"Of course it was but if we said that they'd spend the whole day doing pointless activities to remain on top." Robin replied. "You already know the other reason why I lied, I'm sure."

Her humming, at first, was going to be her only reply but when spotting Luffy talking to Sanji and bowing down to his 'savior' she added, "Do you usually lie just to see Franky smile?"

"Occasionally." Robin then realized the missing component of her breakfast, a drink. "Are you parched, Nami-san?"

Nami was also in the midst of finishing her breakfast. "I am. This really needs to be watered down."

"How about I make some tea for the two of us?"

"That sounds great."

________________________________________________

"Namiiiiiii." Luffy cried as he laid on the bench that circled against the walls of the library. Nami had been working on her maps for an hour and she didn't plan on stopping. The day was too perfect to not be productive but one person interrupted that peace of hers. "I'm so boredddddd." It didn't help that he had to groan after every sentence either.

"Luffy, I swear I'll be finished in an hour. Hang out with Usopp first and I'll call you when I'm done." That was the only time Nami looked up from her work during that hour he's been there. She held a soft, white feather between her fingers and dipped the quill in a tiny cup of black ink. The map of Ichiba Island was complete but she found it best to add more details. Plus, her perfectionist-self when it came to her maps convinced her to improve upon the finished piece.

Luffy's eyebrows knitted together every time he'd lose Nami's attention. But he knew better that her love for mikans and cartography surpassed anything else. Before leaving her alone, he boldly pecked her cheek. Her startled look gave Luffy a reason to laugh and as he took his leave, he made sure to wave 'bye'.

Sometimes whenever Luffy snuck a kiss and left, his walk gave her the impression he was clicking his heels together while jumping. In other words, he always walked with great pleasure. She softly rubbed the cheek he kissed and insulted him under her breath. "Baka, baka, baka, baka, baka, baka." And she should've gave him a punch to the head because now her hands couldn't stay stealthy.

"NAMI! TIME'S UP!" Without consideration of his yelling messing her map up, he stormed back into the library in exactly an hour. But to the navigator's dismay, he barged in during the time she was being anything but productive. Some time before he left, she snuck out to grab a blanket from the women's quarters to cover herself while she slept within the library. Luffy shook his head in shame. "Sorry Nami but I'm not letting you work anymore." He grabbed both her cheeks and excitedly grinned, "Let's go to the very top of the crow's nest."

Giving in to her captain, Nami followed him on deck and wasn't surprised when he chose to go up there via his Gomu-gomu powers. But it never failed to make her slightly shy when he'd wrap his arm around her waist. Like a conveyer belt, Luffy's left arm pulled them to the nest and the captain ensured Nami safely landed within the railing of the little space where their jolly roger sailed.

Leaning against the wooden railing, Nami took in the fresh air courtesy of the vast, blue ocean they spent their time sailing on. Half of the the sky was clear but also covered by soft, egg-colored clouds. It reminded her of the dream she had last night of lying on a single fluffy cloud while surrounded by all the rare treasures of the world.

While Nami was in her own world, Luffy yelled down and called Chopper and Brook's name then waved hi. The navigator even waved hi, too.

She hasn't been right at the top of the crow's nest regularly but soon she will because the breeze truly was better from up above. As boundless as the ocean seemed, it was so calming to stare at it from a bird's eye view. Enjoying a pastry or two with a cup of tea up here really wasn't a bad idea. Maybe she should invite Robin up here. But then again, Luffy brought her up here. She decided this space would be theirs on free days since Usopp and Chopper usually occupied it whenever she commanded them to keep watch of a nearby island. Below in the distance, she watched Usopp water his plants while Robin did the same. Her gaze shifted back to Luffy's whose eyes had been on her since he finished waving hi. "So, why here?"

Her captain chuckled a bit as he jumped to grab onto the jolly roger's pole and swing himself around it. "Cause it's cool up here! It's really nice and quiet. And sometimes I come up here just to watch everyone below and see what they do all day."

"You creep." Nami joked. "I'll admit, it's relaxing up here. It really clears one's mind from everything."

"Yeah." Luffy placed his right hand on the top of his head to secure his straw hat from flying away. Despite the small breeze, he couldn't risk Shank's hat falling into the ocean blue. "Do you like it here?"

The mikan lover looked up at Luffy. He still held his place on the pole but now he was looking at the direction the ship sailed toward. A flock of birds passed by and Luffy waved to them, too.

"I also wanted to talk." Luffy suddenly told. There were no seats within the tiny space but he made do with his lazy-self by leaning against the railing. Franky is the best shipwright he knew. He could always trust Franky's sturdy creations. "So what were you dreaming about when you kissed me?"

"W-what?" Nami was taken aback. That question that came out of thin air, no way could she be prepared for that. "...does that even matter?"

"Yup, it matters a lot." Luffy told while staring at the necklace Nami wore.

The navigator broke in a nervous sweat. "Well..." She was looking for the right words to say. "It's been a while since that happened. I can hardly remember." A transparent lie. Her captain's  
eyes told her he wasn't playing around. In the small area she stood in, she had no chance of successfully escaping. She started to believe she was brought here to be forced to answer all of Luffy's questions. "Quit glaring at me, baka. It's so boring; it wouldn't be of any interest."

The captain didn't want to waste his breath again so if Nami seeks a reply, she isn't getting one. But one look at his down face guilt-tripped the navigator into admitting. 

"Geez!" She yelled in frustration. "If it's soooo interesting to you then I'll tell you!" From beneath them, she can hear the distant quarreling Sanji and Zoro did everyday. "I can only make out the fact my dream was about you and I was with your idiotic self all day." Just admitting her mind was always occupied with Luffy even as she slept was embarrassing enough. But her captain wanted to hear more. 

"Hm, what were we doing in your dream?" He asked, innocently. 

The cat burglar sighed. "Gosh, what do you want from me?! It was a date obviously!"

Nami losing her composure got Luffy snickering. "Hm, does that mean you dreamt of us," He had to pause to recall a few of the stories Sanji, Franky, and Usopp would tell in the men's quarters, "holding hands or kissing?" The sudden realization then hit. "Oh, oh! That's why you suddenly kissed me in your sleep! Who knew you can be girly, too!" He belly-laughed to the sky, not realizing the trouble he got himself into. 

Nami's fist was already up in the air. "Why, you-!" _Bam!_ A good hit to the face, too.

Luffy rubbed his sore cheek with a hurt expression. "What was that for?! I wasn't trying to sound mean!"

"Baka." Nami muttered under her breath. Her deadly glare rested on Luffy's frowning face while he looked away from her to stare at a seagull passing by. "Why'd you even ask, you idiot?"

Luffy didn't look back at her but he did immediately answer. "I don't know, I was just thinking about when you started to actually like me. And based on what Usopp and Chopper said, friends don't kiss." In Nami's perspective, it was a bit funny to watch Luffy now learn more about this topic. "So I thought about when you said my name and kissed me that one night. I don't really know, I didn't expect you to give me an answer anyways."

Nami's left eye twitched, regretting her words previously. I mean sure she could've not answered but with him making a face like that, how could she not?! 

"You might not answer me this time but does that mean you've liked me since then?" Luffy's dark eyes flickered her way and his appearance was painted with curiosity and joy.

At first, she was a little hesitant to answer the first thing that popped in mind. It was definitely not part of the usual vocabulary she'd display to the crew. So she chose one that was more befitting yet gave a satisfactory answer. "...before that." Nami instantly looked away from her captain, forcing her hair to cover most of her cherry face. 

Luffy was stunned. His eyes slowly widening when processing the reply. He leaned his face in closer to catch her shy face but Nami was adamant in concealing it. 

Regardless of being self-aware of his life on the line, Luffy boldly tucked strands of her orange hair behind her ear. Doing so, he could finally meet the shamed navigator who disliked having her feelings plastered on her sleeve. 

Her features gave the impression she was nervous but really irked. The upset frown really contradicted with her rosey cheeks. Her side-eyed glance truthfully made Luffy flinch for a millisecond; he was prepared to be lashed out. But she didn't do no sort; no yelling and no sign of inflicting pain. Instead, she asked the same question as he did. 

"It's not fair if I'm the only one answering. So you tell me when you started realizing it." Of course she was inferring to the new feelings Luffy started to adopt.

As new Luffy was to these feelings, he began to understand how familiar it was back when he saved her from Arlong's tyrannical rule. But the captain couldn't really put his finger right on it. "I don't know."

Nami's patience was ticking and his reply enraged her. But knowing the meat lover, it was no surprise since his brain could only hold so much information. With a defeated sigh, any further questions diminished like salt in water. As time passed, afternoon sun wasn't afraid to reveal itself and its humidness began to be picked up by the air. The navigator hoped to leave the very top of the crow's nest soon before she sweats and smells.

Unexpectedly, she wasn't prepared for any addition to his dry response. If anything, she thought he'd throw out a random event and lie. In this case, it wasn't.

Between his whistling, he added, "I don't know if it was when we saved you from Arlong or when we were at Chopper's island or from the very beginning." In his hands, he played with Shanks' hat. "All I know is that at some point, I didn't want to be your friend." His earnest grin shifted to a bright, young smile. "Oh! Like Usopp and Kaya! What they have, I wanted with you is what I thought. But I wasn't really sure what it all meant so I don't know."

Frowning deeper than the ocean blue, it turned upside down as Luffy elaborated. Nami blissfully stared at her idiotic captain and so did he with his goofy grin. Although Luffy had a lot to learn, it was rather sweet to hear when he began to develop such strange feelings. 

Both stood together but Nami scooted an inch closer to lean her head against his broad shoulders. Appearing skinny always made his opponents underestimate him, but Luffy grew tough and of course built muscle along the way. 

"Shishi!" Luffy laughed in his signature way. His fingers intertwining with hers out of the blue. He lifted their raveled hands and said, "Is it fine if I do this?!"

Nami laughed at his fearful face that didn't want to be punched. Her toothy grin appeared and her soft chuckles warmed Luffy's heart. While they viewed the never-ending ocean that Luffy could never have the luxury of swimming in, at the same time, the two leaned their heads onto each other. Nami's staying still on his shoulder and Luffy's head on top of hers. The moment was peaceful and ever-so relaxing. Despite the warm temperature, the distant singing from Brook made up for it. A happy sigh escaped the navigator's lips and then heartily said, "Of course it is, baka. You don't need to ask me, y'know." 

"Really? Shishi. Whatever you say, boss." Luffy teased her leadership. He then paused their hand-holding to slither his arm around Nami's waist. "Hey, what do you think Sanji is going to make for lunch?"

And that was the end of their lovely talk.

"Oi! Luffy!!" From below them, the sharpshooter called for his captain who hasn't been seen for a suspicious amount of time. Not until Robin informed him of where he disappeared to. "You better not be doing anything pervy up there!" 

Nami wasn't interested in what Usopp wanted to say but Luffy did so he peered below at his crewmate. For some odd reason, Luffy picked up the words, 'You better be having fun up there!' which was the opposite message Usopp was trying to portray. His thick skull would create yet another misunderstanding and cause mayhem down on deck. "Of course I am! I'm having the time of my life!" He truly loved being around Nami when she wasn't moody. "We'll be down in a sec!"

In eerie silence, Usopp, with hands stuck to his side, stayed still. Frozen, even. Like he was stuck in a shell of ice. Hell, even his expression was as if time stopped. Gaping like he witnessed a betrayal of a trusted friend. The closest people around him was Zoro and Chopper and they seemed unfazed to what Luffy just admit. He swung his head back and forth to find any concern plastered on their faces but found none. "Guys! Are we just going to ignore what Luffy just said?!"

On the floor sat Zoro who leaned his head against the railing. With nonchalance, he shrugged and replied, "Who cares? It's gonna happen eventually."

As much as the swordsman had a point, isn't it a bit too indecent to do it outside?! "But- out in the open?!"

His eyes closed in disinterest. "Does it matter? You can't even hear them. You wouldn't have known if Luffy didn't say anything."

It appalled the long-nose pirate how much Zoro defended Luffy's actions. "Uh-" What more was there to say if Zoro wasn't shocked. 

Soon, using his Gomu Gomu powers, Luffy lowered himself and Nami back on deck. His left arm wrapped tightly around her slim waist and Usopp thought the contact was too inappropriate and covered his eyes. When the navigator landed safely along with her captain, she eyed Usopp's odd behavior. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, "What's up with you?"

Usopp was ready to quickly reply but in fear of his life, he took away the words that would nearly escape. Instead, he had an alternative method; run away and never bring up the subject ever again. Luffy was equally as confused so after he waved bye to Nami, he chased after him. 

The cat burglar sighed, a bit disappointed she received no answer. But Zoro lifted those hopes back up again. "You wanna know why he's being so weird?" 

Nami nodded in curiosity. But oh Kami, she should've never been inquired. 

"He thought you and Luffy were fucking."

"...I'm gonna assume I didn't hear you right. So, I'll ask again. Why is Usopp being strange?"

"Are you deaf, witch? I said, Usopp thought you and Luffy were fucking out in the open."

"..."

"Well, were you?"

"I'm going to give you a minute to run and warn Usopp of his timed death."

"Shit, woman. You're gonna kill him, aren't you?"

"Just go or else I'll take out my anger on you, too!"

"You mean your embarrassment."

"Oh, fuck you!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **hi everyone! really happy this is getting a lot of hits and kudos! i appreciate the love so so much! enjoy this homey chapter!**  
>  heads up! i upload chapters rather late (1-2 months) so i hope you can be patient with me!  
> have a great day!


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